FOLLOWING IN HER FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS

College is part of the formative years where students figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Growing up you dream of being a firefighter or a veterinarian, or the next Troy Aikman or Serena Williams, but college is when dreams meet reality. For fifth-year senior Kate Foster, she has always known. She just needed to look to her father for guidance on what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her father, Bill, threw discus as a member of the track and field team at TCU ('84), she throws discus on the track and field team at Oklahoma; he is an English teacher and coach, she wants to be an English teacher and coach. Foster is well on her way to following in his footsteps after graduating in 2015 with a degree in planned program English literature and is currently working on a Master's degree in leadership administration. The Mesquite, Texas, native sat down to talk about her time here at OU, the influence her family has had, and how a girls' basketball team played a part in her becoming a Sooner.

On when she become interested in track and field and how she ended up in the discus:

"I didn't become interested in track and field until about seventh grade, but the first time I picked up a discus was actually fourth grade. Whenever my dad and brother went out to practice, when Will (her brother who was an offensive lineman at Abilene Christian '12) was in middle school, I tagged along. I just picked it up and threw it and hit something. I was interested because my brother and dad threw and my mom is also really athletic, so I just went ahead and gave it a try. I was super nervous to even try out for the middle school team. I was like 'dad, we have to go practice', but I really had nothing to worry about. I just really like throwing things, so I figured why not give it a try."

On the advice her family has given her:

"Being a coach's kid, there is always that higher standard that you are held to than most kids and students. You always just work your hardest at everything that you do. Just try to be the best and give it your best shot because there's no point in doing something halfway. You might as well put your whole heart into it."

On her career plans after graduation:

"I hope to teach high school English and to be a volleyball (she played for four years in middle school and high school as an outside hitter), track, anything coach. I'll coach whatever they put me in. I saw the impact that my parents made because it's a family full of educators going back to my great-grandparents. I've seen the impact that they make on students, the fun they had and the relationships they built with students. I want to do that, too. The people who coached me and taught me in school were my inspiration. It's kind of me giving back for all of the hard work they poured into me."

On what made her choose to come to Oklahoma:

"When I was little, I always said that I would never come to OU. I thought I would go to TCU (where both of her parents went). When it finally came around to choosing a college, I was stuck between TCU and OU. I was asking 'Lord, just give me a sign.' I prayed for a sign to let me know what to do. The next morning, I woke up and I signed up to coach a first through third grade girls' basketball team (in her hometown of Mesquite, Texas). The name of the team was the Lady Sooners. That's when I became at peace about where to go to school. That's how I decided to go to OU. "

On her proudest accomplishment on the track during her time here at OU:

"Probably scoring last year, placing sixth in the Big 12, because the two years prior I got ninth. I barely missed the podium. In my first year in the Big 12, they said I made finals and then I threw once in the finals. Then they said they got the marks wrong and I was actually ninth and not in the finals. The next year, I got knocked out of making the finals on someone else's last throw. Last year, I finally made it into finals on my third throw so that was just a big relief. I knew I could get it done and I got it done. It was a pretty big deal for me because of the two prior years."

On what she wants Sooner fans to know about her time here at OU:

"Honestly, I never thought that I would be a Sooner because I was raised with my parents going to a different alma mater. Becoming a Sooner has probably been one of the best choices I've ever made. The fans alone, the support system here is amazing. Everything they've given to us, the opportunities that OU offers us has just really been amazing. Representing Oklahoma and the tradition that we have is really great. "

Extras:

Favorite food: Queso from Torchy's Tacos in Dallas, Texas.
Favorite musician/ band: Needtobreathe (an American Christian rock band)
Favorite class you've taken at OU: Autobiographical Writing
Hobbies: I like to read, hang out with friends and family.
Favorite author: Author Cormac McCarthy
Favorite book: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Three words that others would use to describe her: Quirky, hard working, caring.