Sophomore Sarah Cato expresses her passion for helping others

Caleb Smith, Staff Writer

From being a consistent volunteer to a dancer, Sophomore Sarah Cato balances a multitude of activities that she is passionate about. 

With the unprecedented changes that came with this year, life is not how it used to be. Many activities have been canceled or postponed and it can be hard to participate in the events that were held prior to the pandemic. However, Cato still manages to participate in her extracurriculars in the safest way possible, one of those being dance.  

At just two years old, Cato began her journey in dance. Dance has played a huge role in Cato’s life, and she uses it as an outlet to express her emotions.  She enjoys the freedom of being herself in dance and her dance teachers push her to be the best she can be, to continue to dive deeper in dance and in life.

“Dancing is actually like therapy for me and when I am in my moment I don’t have to worry about anything else,” Cato said.

Along with dancing, Cato has been a part of Girl Scouts since the first grade. When she initially joined Girl Scouts, the bulk of her time there was spent playing games and doing activities.  However, as she grew older, her focus shifted towards helping out in the community and achieving awards.  Additionally, Girl Scouts allowed Cato to create strong bonds with her troopmates- it taught her about being there for each other in the toughest of times. She is now a part of Troop 12511 and loves everyone in there.

“After starting to help out my community more, Girl Scouts truly taught me a lot, especially on how you can help people in the simplest ways,” Cato said.

Besides dance and Girl Scouts, Cato is also a part of a variety of clubs at school. Currently, she participates in club Will to Live, the Special Needs Association, Worship team for FCA and she plays volleyball as well. 

Over the past few years, Cato has become fervent about helping people. In middle school, she grew close with classmates who had autism which sparked her love for helping others, especially those with special needs.

”Helping others is a huge thing that I am passionate about and will always be,” Cato said.

Because of Cato’s passion for helping others, she aspires to be a speech pathologist. Becoming one has been her dream since seventh grade, and she is determined towards making it a reality.  Cato believes in helping those with autism speak in whatever way they want to, as she wants to help them grow and express themselves. She also wants to be a nurse, but in either career she happens to pursue, her goal is to help others.

“I feel like it would be so rewarding to see my patients come out of their shells and say what they want to say in their own words,” Cato said.

Another aspect of her life that Cato is passionate about is her religion. She has been on a few mission trips in the country, and from her very first one to Brunswick, GA to her more recent ones to Virginia and Florida, she has longed to expand her scope. When she graduates, her plan is not to attend college at once, but to take a gap year to travel around the world.

“After high school, I’ve always wanted to take a gap year and go somewhere where I can help out; missionaries have always been super close to my heart,” Cato said.

Cato has a plethora of role models in her life, including her two older brothers, Ryan and Tyler, and Sadie Robertson an actress from the reality tv show, Duck Dynasty. Cato saw how kind and genuine she is and has looked up to her ever since.

“Sadie Robertson[is an idol of mine], she’s just absolutely amazing and her words are so thoughtful. I aspire to be like her.”

Cato’s brothers Ryan and Tyler have set a great example for her as she matures into adulthood. They both graduated high school and are pursuing their passions and she plans on following suit.  Seeing her brothers interact with students who have autism inspired her as well.

“They are very driven and when I see that they are driven towards something it makes me strive to do what I want and what I’m passionate about because they do [that as well].”

Cato’s love for others and her selflessness reflects into her daily life as well. She still has two more years of high school and plans on using this time to do what she can to work towards ensuring that she has a bright future pursuing her passions. Whether it be as a  nurse, a speech pathologist or another job, she will make sure that she is helping people to the best of her abilities.