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Gadsden Runner Awarded 2023 Board of Trustees Scholarship

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Posted on September 19, 2023

Thomas Becnel

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For a morning interview about earning the USA Board of Trustees Scholarship, a top academic award for first-year students, Katie Giles arrives with damp hair and a fresh set of running clothes.

Six days a week, she does 6:30 a.m. training runs as a walk-on with the women鈥檚 cross country team. Then she grabs a quick shower and starts her classes at the University of South Alabama.

鈥淚 only ran five miles today,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of the older runners did more than that. They鈥檙e very fast. On my high school team, I was always the fastest runner, but I knew that wouldn鈥檛 be the case here.  I think that will push me, though, and help me grow as a runner. So I鈥檓 excited about it.鈥�

At Glencoe High School near Gadsden, Alabama, Giles won a cross country state championship as a sophomore. She earned the Board of Trustees Scholarship with an academic record that includes a 36 score on the ACT and a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She鈥檚 made an A in every class she鈥檚 ever taken.

Now she鈥檚 starting over at South.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be more difficult here,鈥� she said. 鈥淗igh school was more memorization and this will be more application. I鈥檒l have to study more and take better notes in class, which I鈥檓 trying to do.鈥�

Giles joined the Honors College and hopes to do undergraduate research. She鈥檚 a biomedical sciences major who plans to attend medical school.

鈥淚鈥檝e always felt drawn to it,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ports medicine is something I鈥檓 really passionate about. As an athlete, I鈥檝e been injured, and I鈥檝e been able to work with doctors who were really understanding and worked to expedite my recovery.鈥�

South is much bigger than Glencoe High School 鈥� there were just 79 students in her graduating class 鈥� but Giles has met a lot of classmates in Mobile. She鈥檚 already been to the beach twice, once with Honors College friends, and once with her cross country teammates. She鈥檚 gotten involved with Campus Outreach, the student ministry group.

鈥淚 see a lot of people I know in passing on campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�

Giles grew up in Gadsden, northeast of Birmingham, where her mother is a schoolteacher and her father is a principal. She played soccer growing up and worked part-time as a youth league referee.

At South, Giles is looking forward to doing research and preparing for medical school. She says she might save her scholarship money to pay for a Study Abroad program.

She鈥檚 learning about the difference between high school and college. Grades aren鈥檛 everything.

鈥淢y English professor said he wasn鈥檛 going to give anyone an A on our first paper,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e said he had high standards and if he gave anyone an A, they wouldn鈥檛 have anything to work for on the next paper. I wasn鈥檛 too happy about that 鈥� nobody in the class was. I got a B.鈥�

But she is looking forward to that next paper. Giles has a strong work ethic in her classes and extracurricular activities. She plans to continue training with the Jaguar cross country team.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a big commitment, on top of class, but I really like it so far,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not too crazy where it takes up your entire day.鈥�

To rise for 6:30 a.m. training runs, Giles sets her alarm for 5:45 a.m. She tries to be quiet when she gets going before dawn.

鈥淪ometimes the wake-up is a little rough,鈥� Giles said. 鈥淚 feel bad for my roommate. I apologize to her every day.鈥�

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