USC or UCLA?
Those renowned California schools were the two finalists for St. Ed’s graduate Grace Kahle when decision time came around, as it usually does for any accomplished high school senior beset with sorting out fabulous options for college.
Would she become a Trojan or a Bruin? The only thing she knew for sure was that her ultimate choice would take her to the Los Angeles area.
“St. Edward’s and Vero Beach are so dear to my heart, but I am definitely ready to move on to see bigger cities and meet different people,” Kahle – a St. Ed’s diehard – told us. “I was very interested in L.A. I went out there for spring break in my junior year and saw a bunch of schools up and down the West Coast. I knew L.A. was the place for me and a couple of months ago I narrowed my choices down to USC and UCLA.
“That was a pretty big decision. I went to the admitted students day for both schools and right then and there I loved both of them. UCLA is a great school. The people there were wonderful, but I just felt more at home at USC. It’s kind of hard to explain. Maybe I can tell you more later, but I just feel like USC could really be the right place for me.
“So I will be going to USC and I’m really excited about that.”
Actually, the academic environment at St. Ed’s was an important ingredient in the USC equation. Kahle pointed to one class in particular that proved to be motivational.
“Freshman year I took the AP Human Geography class with Mr. (Terence) Mitchell,” Kahle said. “I was really nervous going in, but I think sticking with it really set the tone academically for the rest of my high school career. That was my first AP class and I pushed myself hard.
“After that I just made the decision that I would always push myself to the limit, take as many hard classes as I could, and strive for greatness in all of my classes.”
Human Geography is a comprehensive sociological study of the human condition involving a smattering of politics, history, humanities, language and culture. She branched out from there and spent four years with the Model United Nations program.
From those experiences Kahle discovered “a bunch of really interesting things that I became curious about. One of the main factors in deciding on USC was that interdisciplinary learning is stressed. That makes it really easy to take double majors, or a major and a minor.
“There is a really broad span of things that I would like to learn about. I think that I will be able to use the faculty and every other resource at USC to my benefit and find a way to determine exactly what it is I want to do. I enjoy so many different subject matters and I’m going to find a way to fit in all of the different things that I enjoy.”
She also found an area of perhaps unexpected academic proficiency by taking an accelerated math class in ninth grade. That would lead to becoming a four-year member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics competition team.
In addition to settling on the right courses to pursue academically in high school, Kahle played on the varsity lacrosse team all four years. She tried soccer for one year and was one of those skilled athletes recruited to the cross country team as a senior. But lacrosse remains the preferred sport to find some suitable outlet for at USC.
“That’s something that I’m really excited to find out about once I get there,” she said. “I think I’m going to join some sort of club or intramural lacrosse team. I’m definitely not thinking about doing anything too serious.
“Lacrosse has maybe been the best experience I’ve had in high school. Getting out there – and being on a team and joining together for one main cause – is just the best feeling. I want to continue to stay active and I love lacrosse, so that’s my main priority. I will find out about that in orientation. All I know is that I’m definitely going to stay active.”
Orientation takes place in mid-June and Kahle says that will be the beginning of her adventure at USC. Classes begin in mid-August. Before that a family trip to Colorado is in the works for her grandparents 50th anniversary.
“Being the younger sibling gives me a lot of insight into the bigger picture,” Kahle said. “I saw my brother Devon (St. Ed’s Class of 2013 ) leave home and I got to see exactly how my parents reacted. I think this will be a pretty smooth transition for me. I definitely think I’m prepared for it.
“I’m ready to leave home and take on all of the responsibilities. But I’m sure there will be times when I will be in southern California and calling home because I miss my parents. It’s nice to know that I will be able to come back home to visit.”
