Flipping through the air, senior cheer captain Katie Foster flawlessly lands her back handspring on the sidelines of the football game as the fans go wild. Smiling, she looks around and hugs her teammates before they start the next cheer, knowing she’s right where she’s meant to be.

Foster has spent the majority of her life cheerleading, ever since she began the sport in first grade through the Cedar Park Youth Football Association. She made the varsity team as a sophomore and never looked back, finding genuine connections and sisterhood through the team, as well as developing a strong work ethic and leadership skills.

“Cheer has entirely made me who I am,” Foster said. “From volunteering, to social skills, to friendships and hard work, cheer has rounded me and showed me what I value most. I think everyone should be held to a standard that makes them a better person, and I’m so grateful to have been pushed to be better physically and mentally.”

After her first year on the varsity team, Foster was named a captain for her junior year, a position that she continued for the rest of high school. She said the best part of being a captain was using her voice to encourage her teammates.

“I honestly never grew up seeing myself as a leader, but I’m so thankful that Coach [Nadira] King saw the leader in me and helped me to learn and grow in that way,” Foster said. “It means so much to me that someone saw potential and purpose in me and pushed me out of my comfort zone. It’s a powerful thing to be able to talk and people automatically listen, so using that voice to push people to be the best they can is really awesome.

In January, the cheer team competed at nationals and placed 10th overall, advancing to finals. Foster said her favorite part of her last competition was praying over the team one last time backstage.

“The seniors all knew it would be our last time stepping on a mat to compete in our lives, and it was a really bittersweet moment,” Foster said. “It was fully all or nothing, and we all just took in the moment despite the nerves we were facing.”

Foster said the thing she’ll miss the most about cheer and her time with her teammates and best friends is the pregame prayers and pep talks.

“I will honestly miss all of it so much,” Foster said. “There is truly nothing like FNL in Texas, from singing ‘Friends In Low Places’ on the bus, to circling up on the 50 yard line, to Metal Shop and tucking in the end zone. You never think you’ll miss the pain in your feet, but as I dragged my giant cheer bag in my house late at night for the last time, I realized I could definitely stand through another quarter.”

In addition to cheer, Foster has found fulfillment through her work as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Practicum student, where she gets to shadow doctors at the local hospital and learn more about her future career and how to help others.

“[The class] has carried me through four years that taught me who I am, where I want to go in life and why I choose to pursue helping people,” Foster said. “My favorite part about this class is the amazing bond between the students and also the amazing Mrs. [Amy] Buffington. It’s one of the most challenging classes I’m in and still my absolute favorite because it prepares me to help people in the future.”

Foster also founded a compassion clothes closet at Seton Cedar Park Hospital, a project she cited as her biggest accomplishment in high school, 

“It started as a small donation of clothes in an empty closet in the corner of the hospital and grew to house needs as far as car seats,” Foster said. “This project truly turned into my pride and joy, knowing that it was able to help hundreds of underserved patients leave the hospital with the necessities, not only to have a positive health outcome but also [to] feel cared for.”

Next year, Foster will go to Texas Christian University to study health science with an emphasis in physician associate studies. She also plans to rush a sorority this fall and participate in Young Life at a local high school

“I am so excited to make friends and memories, as well as learn new things,” Foster said. “I’ve worked really hard with this goal in mind, so I [can’t wait] to see all the new doors that are opened and the people I can meet and things I can accomplish.”

Foster said that she has changed drastically throughout high school, coming out of her shell and growing more mentally resilient.

“I feel like I have definitely grown to be more outgoing [and] confident but also kind,” Foster said. “You live and you learn, and now I have a greater understanding of who I am and the kind of person I strive to be. [If I could go back], I would tell myself to calm down, be present and be kind. It will all be okay, I swear.”