Student-Athlete of the Week: Kate Gallop

High school senior Kate Gallop has been making a difference in the Dawson School community in more ways than one throughout her tenure at Dawson. She is a dedicated and high achieving student, an empathetic peer leader, and an instrumental player on the Dawson basketball team, as well as the talented soccer goalie on the Dawson 2018 2A State Championship soccer team.

According to Gallop, her favorite part of playing sports at Dawson is the comradery and team aspect. She “loves seeing the team grow and succeed together.” The team is what keeps her motivated to improve her skills day after day.

According to Mike Jacobsma, Dawson athletic director, “Kate is an excellent leader on and off the basketball court and soccer field. She is committed to making herself and her teammates better every day.” Jacobsma went on to say, “Kate has been the starting soccer goalie since she was a freshman and has helped our team reach the championship game three years in a row. Over the past four years, it has been a real pleasure to see her grow into a tough, resilient, and committed student-athlete.”

Soccer coach Dave Criswell enthused, “Kate is a leader by example for the soccer team on and off the field through her positive attitude, supportive nature, and unmatched work ethic. No one on the team works harder on improving their technical skills more than Kate, and her presence boosts the confidence of the whole team. We’re excited she will be serving the team as one of our captains this spring.”

When she’s not out playing sports, Gallop can be found at a number of extracurricular activities in and out of Dawson.

She is a mentor in Eye to Eye, a national, award-winning mentoring program for students with learning and attention issues, and supports younger Dawson students. She is also a key member of Dawson’s Compassion Connection, a group of students committed to learning ways in which to identify peers who may be struggling emotionally and socially, and might need some extra support. “She has tremendous poise and strength, and a big heart for all,” summed up Holly Smith, the Dawson Upper School counselor who helps facilitate the student-led initiatives of the Compassion Connection.

Outside of Dawson, Gallop volunteered last summer working with kids at I Have a Dream Foundation, and the past few years has helped at events for There with Care. Currently, she is an intern at Creating Cultures of Dignity, a group led by Rosalind Wiseman (author of Queen Bees and Wannabes). Kate writes blog posts and helps to create scenarios used in their school curriculum called Owning Up: Empowering Adolescents to Confront Social Cruelty, Bullying, and Injustice.

Passionate about creative writing, Gallop wrote a short fiction piece titled “Golden Eye” which was accepted for publication in the Winter 2019 edition of Canvas Literary Journal.

She impresses her family, friends, teachers, and coaches with the accomplishments she has made, skillfully juggling sports and extra-curricular activities. She attributes her success to her ability to focus on one thing at a time; she is able to fully immerse herself in each activity at the right time, and uses the energy that she gets from each practice or activity to stay motivated.

Gallop is in the midst of the college application process, and looks forward to pursuing her passion of creative writing.