by Cori Hilsgen
Kate Bechtold said she believes people should take time to get to know and understand one another instead of thinking they know others and then label them and/or put them in categories they think others fit into.
Becthold, a senior at Cathedral High School, is the daughter of Pat and Bruce Bechtold. She has two brothers – Sam, 24, and Ted, 20 – and one sister Mary, 22.
Fun Facts about Bechtold :
Favorite subject:
“My favorite subject is English because I really enjoy reading and being able to express myself through writing,” Bechtold said.
Activities she is involved with:
Bechtold plays volleyball and softball, is a member of the CHS Optimist Club and helped co-found the Cathedral Ice Cream Social Club, a group for juniors and seniors to meet to socialize and enjoy ice cream together. She also volunteered at the St. Cloud Children’s Home through the Special Friends program, where she spent time weekly with a friend, assigned her through the program.
Favorite leisure activity:
“I spend a lot of time listening to music, watching Netflix or hanging out with my friends,” Bechtold said.
Favorite movie:
“The Breakfast Club”
“I like the message it shows of how you can’t put labels on people and assume you know them,” Bechtold said. “You may find you have a lot in common with someone you never took the chance to know before.”
Favorite music:
“I have a pretty wide range of tastes in music,” Bechtold said. “I listen to a lot of Indie pop/rock or alternative types of music. I really enjoy Mumford and Sons because their music always makes me feel good, and Ed Sheeran because he can take an ordinary sentence and turn it into a work of art.”
Favorite restaurant:
Noodles and Company
“Because of their Pesto Cavatappi and flatbread,” she said.
Favorite food:
Strawberries dipped in Nutella.
Favorite thing she likes to help other people do:
“I like to help other people laugh when they are in a bad mood,” Bechtold said.
Favorite quote:
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything.”
-Anonymous
What is one of the hardest obstacles you have had to overcome in the school environment?
“Learning not to stress about the little things,” she said. “One bad test won’t mean you aren’t going to get into college, or one mean comment from someone doesn’t change how you think about yourself.”
Have you ever witnessed bullying at school?
“I don’t see much face-to-face bullying at school, but sometimes you’ll hear people talking bad about others behind their backs,” Bechtold said. “Sometimes I ignore it or I will tell them to stop. It just makes me feel bad for the people doing it that they don’t have anything better to talk about.”
What is your favorite technology device?
Laptop.
Do you like using technology at school?
“Yes, our laptops are very nice because we do not have to carry textbooks around school and it’s a lot easier to communicate with teachers,” she said. “It also saves a lot of paper being able to do most of our assignments online.”
What do you want to do when you graduate?
“I want to go to college, but not sure where,” Bechtold said. “I want to study abroad. I’m not sure what I want to do for a career yet, but I hope to spend a lot of my time traveling.”
What do you want to be doing five years from now?
“Five years from now, I hope I will know what I want to do for a career, otherwise I would like to be in a foreign country doing something cool,” she said.
What would you change if you could?
“I would end world hunger,” Bechtold said
What’s something unique about you?
“I can lick my elbow,” she said.
What do you like best about St. Joseph?
“It’s a quaint and quiet town I feel safe in,” Bechtold said. “I’ve lived here my whole life and it will always feel like home.”