On April 24, senior Katherine Keating placed third at region UIL in Journalism news writing, advancing to the state competition. On May 18, Keating placed first in state UIL for journalism news writing.
“Ms. Dearinger was the first one to text me that I placed third and was going to state; I started jumping up and down and then I ran to tell my mom,” Keating said. “When I told my mom, I started crying. I remember being so relieved and proud of myself for making it all work.”
Keating began competing in UIL in February 2023, her freshman year, with her first meet at Grandview High School. Keating placed first in news writing, beating the reigning state champion.
“She was a bit hesitant to attend that meet in Grandview,” Ms. Rachel Dearinger said. “Mr. Mallett just signed her up, and she didn’t really know what to expect that day. She did great, though. We already knew Katie was a talented writer and had a future writing for “The Rider,” but that day was the start of a UIL journey that came full circle this week. I love that I was there with her for her first and final win.”
Ms. Dearinger believes UIL is a formula writing that Keating has perfected over the years through repetition and practice.
“It’s not necessarily that you must study for the contests like you would for a traditional test,” Ms. Dearinger said. “She’s good at reading quickly, finding the information needed and getting to work. I know Katie has become better over the years because she writes so much for the newspaper and reads and edits others’ work. She’s perfected grammar and AP style and that only helps her too.”
On the day of the state competition, Keating’s event was at 9:30 a.m. After, Keating, her mother and Ms. Dearinger spent the day exploring Austin until they headed to the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.
“As they moved from 6th to 1st, the anticipation was beginning to build and I could hear my heart beating in my chest,” Keating said. “They called my name for first, and I felt so proud of myself. Dearinger was on my left and my mom was on my right, and it was so special to have them both there to watch me. When I got back to my seat, they both hugged me so big and I felt so seen.”
Keating encourages students who are hoping to compete on the state level to stay confident in themselves because the only thing stopping you from reaching your goals is your self doubt.
“While it was super rewarding to win first place, I was proud of myself for making it to state. Just going to state is a huge accomplishment. I think that if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it,” Keating said. “No matter where you fall on the podium, figuratively and literally, you are a representation of the school and community, so the most important thing is to be a good human and uplift everyone. Because being a good human will always be more important than winning in my opinion.”
