Brookfield Academy Senior Makes Most of Her Time

Katie McElligott may not know where she’s headed, but be assured she’ll make a splash when she lands.

A senior at , Katie has applied to 10 universities from coast to coast. Having been accepted to six schools, she hasn’t heard from the remaining four and preferred not to disclose which schools she has applied to. “I’ll make my decision in April,” she said.

Until then, she’s trying to figure out her major. “I’m considering aerospace engineering. I’d like something with a technical component,” she said. After college, Katie is considering law school and after that, perhaps public policy.

Holding a 4.0 grade point average, Katie is taking math and science courses, which she said are her strongest subjects. “I’m taking calculus and an AP physics class — it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

She is the captain of the tennis team and the cheerleading squad, plays soccer and is president of the school's Economics Club.

Katie plays the piano in a group called Piano Capers. “It’s mostly high school kids and we play for various charities,” she said.  She also volunteered at U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s campaign headquarters last summer and tutors inner-city kids at the Summit Educational Association. She volunteers at her church, sometimes filling in for Bible school teachers. And oh yes, she works part time at Abercrombie & Fitch.

If it seems like Katie has more hours in the days than the rest of us, she doesn’t. “You’ll find that most kids who are focused spend their time wisely,” said Sharon Koenings, director of college counseling at Brookfield Academy. “Katie has a lot of energy. She juggles a lot and makes it look easy. She’s charming and humble, but she is also focused on her goal and works toward it.” 

Katie does take time to hang out with her friends. And yes, she is typical in that she uses social media and can appreciate its benefits. But she also admits to being bit old-school about other things.

“I know you can get the online version of textbooks, but I like having the book in front of me," she said. "I like going to the library.”

The oldest of four kids (two brothers and one sister) of Kara and Duff McElligott, Katie loves to travel. No surprise there as both her parents are commercial airline pilots. “I love to travel to learn about the history or the culture of the places we visit," she said. "I loved Hawaii — not so much for the beaches, but going to Pearl Harbor and hiking the mountains. My mother and went to Texas and I loved the history of the Alamo.”

Her destination may be unknown, but Katie McElligott is going to make the most of the journey.