WITHOUT QUESTION, one of the highlights of this year has been getting to know this beautiful high school senior, Mary Catherine High, Class of 2018 senior from Notre Dame High School.   She is incredibly fun just to hang out with.. in fact, I always have to remind myself that she is only 18 because she is so mature, laid-back,  and we have so much fun together!!   Mary Catherine has a selfless soul and beautiful heart and I’m fairly certain it runs in the family!  My heart swells with pride knowing her and I’m not even her mama!  Mary Catherine – I love and adore you!!  Don’t ever forget it!

Mary Catherine would describe her personality as “go with flow” and laid-back but she also loves being adventurous and trying new, crazy things!  She is more of a leader and not a follower.  MC is also very smiley and the smallest of things will make her laugh.   Let me tell you….Mary Catherine is soooooo talented.. she has sent me snapchats of her drawings for school projects, and OMGSH…. the detail and creativity of her drawings are crazy amazing!   This talent is going to be put to good use because she wants to go to college to major in Industrial Design so that she can design cars!!  How cool is that!?  Her dream schools are University of Cincinnati  Auburn, or Virginia.  I know for a fact, she has been accepted into at least one of them already, Way to go MC!  She loves to play volleyball, hang out with friends, and go adventuring and couldn’t survive with out family/friends, traveling, and God.  Her extracurricular activities include St. Jude Club, Easter Seals, and Caring for Cambodia

Advice to incoming freshman: Don’t do anything dumb to make upperclassmen angry and study hard even your freshman year because it counts against you.

Mary Catherine would describer her perfect day as this:

1. 7:30 am – Wake up and eat an Acai bowl
2. 8:30 am – Bungee jumping
3. 10:00 am – Layout on the beach for several hours
4. 1:00 pm – Hike to a waterfall
5. 3:00 pm – Hike a mountain to take in a pretty view
6. 6:00 pm – Diner at Din Tai Fung (Best Chinese food EVA!)
7. 7:00 pm – Night swim
8. 10:00 pm – Stargaze

If MC could have any superpower, she would choose to cure cancer because “I know a lot of people who have been affected directly by cancer. I hate seeing others go through pain and have great sympathy for people who suffer”

If she could have one wish granted, she would ask for 5 more wishes so she could wish the following: Move back to Singapore, Be admitted into my dream school, See her grandfather one more time, get a Lamborghini, and Go to Greece

She loves to travel and used to live in Asia and has had the opportunity to travel most of the continent.  MC would love to go to Iceland and see the Northern Lights.  In her 17years of life, she has been to 17 different countries and 45 different states!

Three things on her bucket lis: 1. ride a camel in Dubai 2. Have babies (I already have names for them) and 3. Travel every continent

Her most treasured possession is a piece of the Great Wall of China because she almost got thrown into a Chinese prison for taking it (interesting story, LOL)

Biggest pet peeves: Cotton balls! (I don’t know why but I just can’t stand them and they make me feel uncomfortable!)

Her hero would have to be one of her childhood friends, Nick who unfortunately passed away. He was training to be a Navy SEAL and one night he pushed one of his friends out of the way who was about to get hit by a driver who was texting and driving, and Nick got hit instead.  “He is my hero because in a situation where he had little time to react, she risked his life to save another”

A moment she is most proud of is when she organized a 5K for St. Jude and it was very successful. It took a ton of time and energy but the outcome was worth it!

The best thing about her mom is “she makes me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She is very loving and open to anything.  The best thing about my dad is that he is extremely intelligent and expects the best from me. He has very high expectations for me which is a good challenge to have.”  Some of the most influential people in her life is her mom, sisters, her best friend’s mom and many more. “They all have different qualities that I aspire to have.”

Here are some of Mary Catherine’s favorites:

1. Holiday – Christmas
2. TV show – Grey’s Anatomy
3. Childhood memory – Going to Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey or Disney World in Orlando
4. Family recipe – Puffy Pancake
5. Meal – Din Tai Fung Dumplings, fried rice, and spinach
6. Sport to play – Volleyball
7. Sport to watch – Villanova Men’s basketball
8. Book – The Fault in Our Stars
9. Movie – Safe Haven or The Best of Me
10. Holiday tradition – Buffets on Thanksgiving