Senior Kate Gillespie, a 17 year-old at Timpview, is an avid student, mountain biker, and small business owner. Here is a picture of her life, and advice from her, someone who balances it all. 

After moving to Utah four summers ago, Gillespie found her passion for mountain biking. She grew up in a family that loved to bike, but admitted to “absolutely despising” it until her freshman year. Her hobby started as an agreement to start going with some cousins, having no idea what it would blossom into. 

Unfortunately, Gillespie suffered from a fracture in her back during her freshman year, and first season mountain biking. This forced time off of biking led her to realize the love she had gained for the sport and gave her the motivation to get back on the mountain. She now rides six days a week, ranging from 1-3 hours a day. She has biked over 3 thousand miles this year, and is excited for her last state championship race in October. 

Gillespie loves mountain biking, but she has also recently found a passion for doing nails, as she has started her small business, “yournailgirlkate.” She has become a license nail technician for the state of Utah, after attending and completing a program throughout the summer. She attended three days a week in order to complete the required 300 hours of schooling, along with passing 2 different state board tests, qualifying her for the license.

Gillespie loves “doing nails and using bright fun colors because it lets [her] be creative while also serving others.”

Balancing both of these big time consumers can be hard, but Kate shares some tips and how she is able to get everything done. As a very visual person, writing out her schedule on paper helps Gillespie stay organized. Seeing it all laid out keeps her from getting overwhelmed. Her last piece of advice is to “make sure you are having fun, because if it’s not fun, something is wrong.” 

This great advice and story shows that if you can be determined enough, and put in the hard work, you can always make time for your passions.