To the judges who selected the Chicago Tribune's 2006 Illinois High School All-State Academic Team, senior Katie Carmody is a can't-miss prospect

By Matthew Freeman
Gargoyle senior editor
Posted Sunday, May 7, 2006, The OG, features

[Note: This story and its accompanying headlines were published at 1:45 a.m. Sunday, before the Chicago Tribune posted its own articles about the All-State Academic Team. We have subsequently added links to the Tribune stories.]

It's not every day that a Uni student is called by the Chicago Tribune. Less than two weeks ago, one of the paper's reporters phoned senior Katie Carmody.

She was notified of her placement on the 21st annual Chicago Tribune Illinois High School All-State Academic Team, an honor given to only 10 seniors each year. The official public announcement of her selection can be found in today's Tribune (two days after The Online Gargoyle's announcement) along with a profile, and she will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the Chicago Tribune Foundation.

“Obviously I was really happy,” Carmody said.

All Illinois high schools are eligible to nominate one candidate for the team. The 10 overall winners, as well as additional regional finalists, are chosen by a panel of educators, parents, and college admissions officers.

During the interview that followed, the reporter asked Carmody several questions about her résumé, especially focusing on her interest in baseball. A Chicago Tribune photographer also took pictures at one of her games at Uni's home field in Rantoul. The paper was not erroneous in its choice of focus.

“It's a pretty big part of who I am,” said Carmody, who has played the sport since first grade.

In fact, she is the starting second baseman on Uni's predominately male varsity baseball team. On Saturday, the eve of her appearance in the Tribune, Carmody reached base twice with a single and a walk in Uni's 5-4 loss to the St. Joseph-Ogden JV.

Carmody joins an academic team that features members with well-rounded activities and credentials beyond straight A's and stellar SAT and ACT scores. Carmody's perfect SAT and excellent academic performance were only part of the application she completed for the award following her nomination by the school in February.

She filled out a résumé with extracurricular and service activities, discussing her role in this year's Habitat for Humanity trip. She also wrote a story from what she found to be an unconventional prompt, asking her to use five things including a character from a John Steinbeck novel.

Even within her academic work, Carmody has remained well-rounded. She attributes this in part to teachers and counselors at Uni, who have made it easy for her to enjoy many various subjects.

“I wouldn't have been so interested in math without Ms. Jockusch,” she said, referring to longtime Uni calculus teacher Elizabeth Jockusch, who will retire at the end of the current school year.

She also found the history department, especially teachers Chris Butler and Bill Sutton, to be especially helpful in maintaining her wide spectrum of interest.

“I think they're really great,” she said.

She's also found Uni to be a positive place for its student environment.

“In middle school going to school was scary almost,” Carmody said, contrasting her experience there with the open and trusting atmosphere she found at Uni. “I think it's really good that we can discuss academic things.”

When she attends Yale, after deferring for a year, she hopes to explore more thoroughly what her academic focus will be. She remembers putting mathematics as her major on her application, but plans to wait to declare until her second year.

Humanities are still an open possibility, but therein lies one of her few academic weaknesses.

“My main problem is I procrastinate on papers really badly,” she said.

Carmody won't be going into college unprepared. She took two University of Illinois math classes last semester, and she recently completed a U of I course on Greek and Roman mythology. She enjoyed the freedom that taking university classes provided her.

“You have a chance to learn on your own,” she said.

Although Carmody's achievements as a National Merit Finalist, Presidential Scholar semifinalist, and Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recipient are impressive, there is also a side of Carmody that doesn't show up on her applications.

In her free time, Carmody enjoys shooting skeet, listening to music, and helping her 9-year-old brother, Kody, with his work. He's like she was at that age, only according to Katie, “a little bit better at everything.”

Carmody has left her mark as one of three Uni students this decade to receive the Tribune's All-State honor, following Val Ross in 2004 and Meera Sekar in 2001. Despite the possibility of one more Carmody attending the school, her presence in Uni's academic field will be missed.