Georgie

I grew up in Santa Ynez Valley, which doesn’t sound that exciting, but when you live with my family, it is. I have two sisters, one of whom is a sophomore this year and my parents - my mum who is practically a Mesan Princess and my dad who loves to walk around Cate pretending he is part of a country club. I came to Cate as a sophomore and it was very similar to my life at home: always something going on. For example, there are often trips on weekends to go scuba diving, community service in Mexico or just In-n-Out and a movie. These activities are one of the things I love most about this school. At home, there are always people in my house; whether it’s my parent’s friends, my friends or just friends of friends, it’s always filled. Cate is similar. No matter where I am on the Mesa, my dorm, the gym or the pool, I am bound to find a friendly face. This is why this community is so special. Everybody is a friend and everybody is open to having a laugh or a chat. It’s this sense of community that drove me to choose Cate. One of the most important things that I have learned at Cate is, no matter where you are, if you have a good attitude and an open mind you are going to enjoy what you do, even if it’s something that does not appeal to you. At first, I was terrified that going on a backpacking trip with 11 other kids I don’t know would be the end of me. However, once I relaxed and made the best of it, I had an amazing trip and made some great friends. Additionally, living with a friend strengthens the friendship tremendously. In most cases, I am close enough to the people I live with I can consider them family. Cate is my home away from home, complete with its familial community and carpe diem attitude.