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As humans, we know the importance of being mindful, of feeling blessed with all that we have and thinking more about others than ourselves.
But we don't. Try as we will (or won't) most of us take life for granted and just keep rolling along, thinking ahead, and worrying about the superficial.
Not Kat Devlin.
When Kat was still in high school, at Mt. Mansfield Union in Jericho, she was diagnosed with cancer.
She looks at life differently and, in a recent social media post reflecting back on her last eleven years, shares her inspirational perspective.
Given 11 Years of extra life:
2011 - Survived chemo, radiation, and distance; Completed middle school; Started high school on time and kept up with the work of two honors classes
2012 - First-year camper at TKT [Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a South Hero based camp for kids with cancer]; Learned I am a great actor when it comes to teachers (honors English…); Lost a cousin; Travelled to Hawaii; Fell in love with stage managing
2013 - Wrote all of the essays and passed AP English; Went to my first prom; Put my hair up!; First-year without any tubes
2014 - Got out of my comfort zone with class selections; fell deeper in love with art; Was a TA for the first time; Got accepted into colleges and chose a school; Went to Belize; Last year camper at TKT
2015 - Went to KCACTF [Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival]; Said goodbye to some friends; Graduated high school; Started College; Made some new friends; First ride in an ambulance
2016 - Found my passion in painting; learned to hang art shows; CIT1 [counselor] at TKT; Lost a friend; Got my first tattoo; Photographed the stars
2017 - Lost an uncle; Named top in my class; CIT2/SAS and internship at TKT; Painted my first mural; Met Tomie dePaola for the first time; Traveled to New Mexico
2018 - Interned for Tomie dePaola; Found my painting style; My first real commission; Graduated with my BFA
2019 - Began grad school; Travelled to England; Began the student teaching process
2020 - Played defense against an outsider; Got diagnosed with anxiety; Got into baking and cooking; Taught remotely; Graduated with my MAT; Got hired for a full-time teaching job; Moved; Fell in love with teaching (while also cursing half the time silently)
2021 - First full numerical year teaching; Got a new car and a new computer; Got diagnosed with depression; Made a full curriculum to build off in following years; Got closer to some old friends (Iz & T); Accepted it’s okay to not always be okay; Let others in; Acknowledged emotions
Not bad for borrowed time…
Kat lives in South Hero, teaches in Grand Isle, and inspires people everywhere she goes.
