GRANITE FALLS — Cassie Collinge, 18, is a senior at Granite Falls High School. She plans to study aerospace engineering at the University of Washington and become an engineer or join the U.S. Air Force. She’s an athlete and volunteered with the annual food drive.
Q: What are your favorite subjects, and what do you hope to pursue?
A: My favorite subjects are science and math. That’s what I really excel in. I’ve taken five math classes out of four years, and six science classes. I’m going to UW this coming fall to major in aerospace engineering. Engineering runs in my family. I’ve grown up around airplanes because my dad was in the Air Force and Boeing. We went to air shows, we went to Joint Base Lewis-McChord and I saw all those airplanes. It intrigued me so much.
Q: How early did you know you liked math and science?
A: Always. I just knew that I could grasp it easily. Eighth grade year, when we were signing up for our freshman classes, I laid out my entire schedule so I could pack all four years. I knew I could waive one of my PE credits so I could double up on science and take all of the science classes that were offered. I was already ahead in math because I was taking a freshman class my eighth grade year.
Q: What are your other interests?
A: Outside of school, I’m really into sports. I’ve always played sports growing up. In high school, I’ve been captain for the varsity soccer and varsity track teams. Last year, we were 2A state champions for our four-by-two relay team.
I like to hike. I really like to do yoga. Life goes by so fast. It feels like I was a freshman last year, or yesterday even. Sometimes, I just need time to reflect on everything. We can really get caught up in the motions and we don’t realize how fast our life is going. So I like to do yoga, and I really like to go to church (Holy Cross Catholic Church).
Q: Do you have a vision of where you want to be after college?
A: I really do want to travel. I was planning to be a part of the ROTC program. They have a program at the UW called the ALVA program, so I could get an internship with Boeing or another company during the summer, and then after I graduate I’m considering either working for Boeing or going into the Air Force.
Q: What’s your family like?
A: We like to travel a lot. I caught the travel bug at an early age. I love my family so much. We’re just a very open family and I know that I can tell them everything. They’ve been so supportive with me all through school. Growing up, I thought everyone went to college, so my goal was to get into a good one. It was nice having an older brother because we’re really competitive with each other. He set the bar high. He went to UW and did so well and now he has a job at Boeing. So that’s pushing me to do better. I need to one-up my brother a little bit. My family is amazing.
Q: What are the most important lessons you’ll take from Granite Falls High School?
A: This is a really giving community. I was part of the food drive. I learned so many lessons from that. I remember my first delivery. We were delivering four huge boxes of food and presents to a single mother. I remember carrying the boxes into the kitchen and she was so overwhelmed with happiness she started crying. She said she could finally feed her kids and not have to worry about anything, and it was life-changing. That’s one of the many things that Granite has taught me. It also taught me to love nature. We’re surrounded. That’s how I found one of my greatest interests was hiking. I learned a lot about myself while hiking, and a lot about my friends.
Q: Do you have other volunteer work?
A: I was involved with Link Crew. It’s the freshman orientation, so a bunch of upperclassmen welcome them and we have games and stuff. We show them that high school isn’t scary and you’re not going to get shoved into a locker.
Q: What’s your advice to new students?
A: Be open-minded. There are so many opportunities waiting for you, but they won’t just be handed to you. You have to go out and find them.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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