Past, present, Panther: Katherine Ovadia

Travelling to Israel in 2015 to South Africa in 2016, sophomore Katherine Ovadia hopes to continue traveling throughout her life in order to experience a variety of cultures and learn what the world has to offer.

“I went to Israel over the summer and on the way to the Dead Sea we saw a guy with a camel so my family and I stopped and decided to ride it.” Ovadia said. “The beaches and sunsets are breathtaking; I can’t even explain it. The sand feels like baby powder and everything is so clean and beautiful.”

For her junior year, Ovadia plans on joining Palmetto’s capstone program on their trip to South Africa as a way to explore a part of the world she has never been to, to volunteer and to learn from the new and unfamiliar culture.

Still an underclassman, Ovadia’s familiarity with the school has helped her interact with new people and participate in school events. “Being a sophomore and not just a newbie at Palmetto makes the [high school] experience more enjoyable,” Ovadia said.

At the age of two she began taking ballet classes at The Dance Center and has been in love with it ever since. Throughout middle school, she stopped dancing at the studio but joined dance classes at Palmetto Middle School with teacher Dana Scotti.

“Dancing helps me express my feelings and I absolutely love being on Variations and performing at pep rallies. Being a part of a team makes me feel like I’m involved in the school and it helps spread the school spirit.” Ovadia said. “When I didn’t make it [onto variations] my freshman year I needed to prove to myself and others that I could and this year, I did.”

Her English teacher Dalia Pulido has successfully captured Ovadia’s attention with exciting lessons, making her high school experience more personal and appealing.

“Mrs. Pulido has been teaching us about archetypes and she would ask us questions that are supposed to show our defining traits.” Ovadia said. “Just learning more about who I am was inspiring and it made me excited about her class which is a little strange but it makes school more bearable.”

Ovadia hopes to tackle on all upcoming obstacles with rigor. By taking things one step at a time, she believes things will fall into place and eventually work out the way they are meant to.

“I’m just trying to set my priorities straight and focus on myself while trying as hard as I can in school and everything that comes my way,” Ovadia said. “I really want to be able to be proud of what I’ve done in my life and achieve what I want, no matter what it is.”