One minute into a conversation with Katlyn Blake and you will learn she has a clear vision of her future, and she is driven to succeed.
Katlyn is a Senior at Middle College High School, attending high school and college classes on the Vol State Gallatin Campus. Katlyn will graduate in May with her Associate of Science degree before she receives her High School Diploma. For Katlyn, Middle College was a no-brainer. “I always tell everyone I think they should do it,” she said. “It helped me grow. I think it prepares you for college.”
There is a lot more college in her future - two years at UT Chattanooga to earn her bachelor's degree before heading off to Davenport, Iowa, to attend Palmer Chiropractic College. “I’ll be a licensed Chiropractor at 22, so that’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s going to be hard, but it will be worth it.”
Katlyn has had her own back issues since middle school. She blames a lack of exercise and a lot of golf, which she plays with her grandfather. “He taught me how to play, so I give him full credit for my swing.” It was her grandfather’s own back injury that ignited her passion for Chiropractic. “I was just so amazed,” she said. “It was a fun experience to see him go in in pain and come out feeling so much better. I think it works and I want to be able to do that too.”
In the meantime, Katlyn’s plate is full of schoolwork and a mountain of extracurricular activities. She is the recording officer for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, volunteers at the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce, is the Tennessee representative to the NRECA Youth Leadership Council, and is returning for a second year of Girls State.
Katlyn says her side passion is politics. “I actually watched the State of the State address,” she said. “It’s interesting to know what the state is spending money on.” She also made an amusing observation, “there’s a lot of clapping; you have to get passed that.”
Somehow, Katlyn still has time for the one activity most teens engage in – binging Netflix. She and her grandparents are currently watching all the past Indiana Jones movies before the newest movie is released in June.
