Kate Congleton holds her dog Ember in October 2025. (Photo provided by Kate Congleton)

NEWPORT – Kate Congleton will graduate from Frontier Local Schools with her high school diploma and an associate’s degree from Washington State College of Ohio.

Born and raised in Newport, Congleton, 17, looks back on years of academic success, club and volunteer participation and athletic excellence.

“I’ve been taking classes there (WSCO) since my sophomore year,” she said. “I’ve been working on an associates of science, so last year and this year I’ve been doing a lot more science-related classes.”

Congleton said she’s taken classes like chemistry, human anatomy, microbiology and environmental sciences.

“I’m going to Ohio University to major in psychology on the preoccupational therapy track,” said Congleton. “I always knew I wanted to do something in healthcare but I didn’t really like nursing or anything so I started looking into physical therapy and I found out about occupational therapy.”

Congleton said she wanted to help people live comfortably and assist them with their daily tasks that would improve their quality of life.

She said she knew a few people who go to OU and they said they loved the college and the atmosphere. Although moving into college is nerve wracking, she said she’s very excited.

“I plan on getting my bachelor’s degree in psychology at OU and OU doesn’t have the occupational therapy doctorate program so I’ll have to transfer after that,” she said. “I think I want to go to Ohio State to finish up.”

Throughout her time at Frontier, Congleton has been involved in multiple clubs, student organizations and athletic programs.

She said she was in Spanish club, pep club, yearbook club, student council, was voted as class president all four years of high school and participates in volleyball and softball.

“I’ve honestly always loved staying busy, I can’t sit still and I love to be involved all the time,” she said. “I just kept seeing more opportunities to get involved and do things and I just kept picking up more things.”

By the time Congleton entered her senior year, she had accumulated quite the participation list.

Congleton said as class president, she oversees a lot of the meetings and plans for the senior class, particularly with prom and graduation.

“Every year we can vote and you can nominate yourself so I decided I want to try for class president and then they voted and I was voted as class president,” she said.

Congleton has been involved in athletics for as long as she can remember, she said it was always part of her life growing up.

“Since I was really young, I started playing T-ball and I couldn’t even tell you how old I was, but then for volleyball I started playing my seventh grade year.”

Congleton said out of the two sports, she enjoys softball more but despite her love for the game, she decided it wasn’t something she’d have time to commit to in college.

“I did get offered to play at Marietta College for softball but I just felt like it would be a lot,” she said. “I just really wanted to focus on academics in college since it’ll be more important for me.”

Outside of school, Congleton has been dancing at Michele’s One Step Up Studio since she was three-years-old.

“We do lyrical jazz and hip-hop,” she said. “I just always loved it, and I made some really good friends there and it’s just super fun.”

She said they compete in dance competitions about three to five times a year but it depends.

When Congleton isn’t studying for class, in practice or dancing, she spends her time volunteering at the Washington County Home in Marietta.

“It’s a lot of fun, I just help them out whenever they need it,” she said. “It’s on my way home so if I don’t have anything to do after my classes, sometimes I’ll just stop in and see if they need anything.”

Throughout her years of involvement and devotion to everything she participated in, she said it all helped her become more disciplined.

“I know when it’s time to really focus and get things done because I don’t have a lot of free time to just lay around and not get my work done,” said Congleton. “Its all just made me really disciplined and motivated to work.”

When she isn’t working, studying, volunteering, or at practice, Congleton enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She said she loves to walk her dog with her mom.

“My family likes to paint so sometimes we all get together and paint,” she said. “My grandma will look up a tutorial on Youtube and my whole family will get together … and she’ll buy the paint colors and then we’ll paint.”

With graduation just around the corner and summer shortly after, she said she’s looking forward to a senior trip with her friends and family vacation.

She said she’s also very excited to start preparing for college and buying things for her dorm room.

Among the many things she’s looking forward to, she said the end of her softball season will be in the next few weeks and it’s very important for her. She said they have a banquet coming up after the season ends and she felt the team did a really good job this season.

“Right now, sports are a huge part of my life. I feel like I just have the best teammates ever and I love being around them,” said Congleton.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com