Kylie McGrath

Cass City Jr and Sr High School
Cass City, MI

Going for Every Goal

Grit and determination can beat any odds. 

Kylie McGrath’s high school didn’t have its own soccer team. But that didn’t stop Kylie from finding a way to play. She advocated alongside one of her coaches to create a co-op with a neighboring school. But Kylie still had to wait two more years to have a presence on the field. Her freshman season was cancelled on account of COVID. Sophomore year was spent first in quarantine and then sidelined with a torn meniscus. Still, Kylie would not give up on getting her chance to play at her best. “I knew what I had to do if I wanted to recover. I went to physical therapy for months and was at the fields every day until my junior season began.” Finally, she got her shot and finished her junior season with 19 goals, 11 assists, and all conference titles— “feats I would have never earned had I not faced the challenge head on,” say says.

Sports isn’t the only area where Kylie has had to overcome hurdles to success. She says she was not a gifted student during her younger years. However, she was determined to not let that stop her from excelling and ultimately advancing to salutatorian of her class. “I may not have been a natural book worm, but through many long hours and tireless nights, I have kept a 4.0 GPA or higher all throughout high school.”

Having seen perseverance pay off on the field and in the classroom, Kylie has put that same passion into obtaining other goals she sets for herself. She helped bring Tri-M Music Honors Society to her school when she was in eighth grade. As current president, she leads the group’s community-focused initiatives including hosting fundraisers and playing concerts for local nursing homes. In October of 2021, she was named Student of the Month for single-handedly putting on the homecoming dance after COVID prevented a school-sponsored event. Perhaps most significantly, she championed a class project her junior year, hosting multiple fundraisers in honor of a classmate who passed away from brain cancer in the first grade. “While we were young at the time, I have always known that we needed to do something as a class to commemorate her.” The funds raised will be used to purchase a new piece of commemorative park equipment to be placed at the school playground, one of the last spots her classmate ever visited. By rising to the challenge and staying true to her goals, even when it takes years to reach them, Kylie has learned the rewards of resilience and the keys to turning aspirations into realities.


Athletic

Achievements

Soccer

  • Captain
  • Varsity Letter Winner
  • All-Conference
  • All-District
  • Local Athlete of the Week

Basketball

  • Varsity Letter Winner
  • District Record Holder
  • Academic All State Team


Academic Honors & Awards

  • Salutatorian
  • National Honor Society President
  • Tri-M Music Honors Society President
  • English Academic Games Team Member
    Academic Varsity Letter
  • College Board Rural and Small Town National Recognition
  • SAT Prep Pin Winner
  • AP Lang Pin Winner
  • Student of the Month, October 2021

_

 

School & Community Involvement

  • Class President
  • Student Council
  • Cass City Band Drum Major
  • Cass City Prom Coordinator
  • Cass City Recreational Soccer Coach
  • Bay Shore Camp and Family Ministries Volunteer
  • Cass City Veterans of Foreign Wars Volunteer

_

 

 

 

“Now when I see a picture of the younger me, I know she would be proud of who we have become.”

~ Kylie McGrath ~