BRHS class of 2017 top 10 student

Kate Friant: Heading west to pursue her college education

Wed, 05/17/2017 - 8:00am

Boothbay Region High School senior Kate Friant is heading west. The 2017 top 10 student and class co-valedictorian will attend college at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. This fall, Friant begins college studying philosophy, law and politics. Friant is not sure what her future occupation will be, so she will begin her freshman year without a declared major.

“Possibly, I will change my mind about a career a couple times in college, so now, I’m taking courses that interest me,” she said.

Friant applied to several other schools, but USC was the only one on the west coast. Friant hadn’t thought much about attending college 2,673 miles from Boothbay Harbor until she received her email.

“I applied last minute and never really thought much about it until my mom asked if I applied to USC. I was real excited about being accepted so I went for a visit,” Friant said.

During the visit, she realized attending a prominent college in the second largest U.S. city would likely provide her with many future job opportunities.

“I got a real good vibe from the city and I could definitely picture myself going to school there,” Friant said.

As she approaches her high school graduation, Friant said the best part of living in a small Maine town is people are generally always there for you.

“Whether it’s in school or in the community, people are willing to lend a helping hand. I’ve developed several close mentor relationships with people helping me achieve my goals,” she said.

As a high school student, Friant was a standout in the classroom, athletic fields and school government. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and served on the student council. She was class president as a sophomore, class vice-president as a junior, and student body president as a senior.

As a student-athlete, she competed in cross country, basketball and lacrosse. She was the starting point guard on the 2016 basketball team which won the Class C Western Maine Regional championship. Friant was also instrumental in forming the varsity lacrosse program which debuted last year and qualified for the Class B North tournament.

Friant said her academic success is due to her curiosity and desire to learn. She is the daughter of George Friant and Stacey Miller Friant.