Frances Cates ’21 Awarded UT Austin Forty Acres Scholarship
Frances Cates ’21 heads to The University of Texas at Austin this fall to enroll in the Plan II Honors Program, a four-year interdisciplinary arts and science honors major – a perfect fit for the budding scientist with an insatiable curiosity who is also a talented pianist. The Forty Acres Scholarship is a highly competitive full-ride, merit-based scholarship.
As a Certificate of Science Scholar, Frances Cates ’21, who entered Hutchison in 9th grade, has spent every summer since maximizing opportunities to shadow medical professionals in the community.
“I love science and the fact that in the medical or health care field, every day is different. There is always something new to learn, and since I am a curious person, that appeals to me,” says Frances.
To say she has an insatiable appetite for learning is an understatement.
When she participated in Le Bonheur’s VolunTEEN program, she shadowed a nurse practitioner in the epilepsy unit. “During my time shadowing her, one of the first patients we saw was a one in a million case,” says Frances. “He had biotin-thiamine responsive basal ganglia disease which affects the nervous system. And he is only one of 48 recorded cases in the world. I eventually went on to do a research project on this disease after learning about it.”
Then, as a junior taking environmental science, reindeer in Siberia piqued her curiosity. “I began to research how reindeer in Siberia had contracted anthrax. The permafrost had melted and there were carcasses that had anthrax in them that the live reindeer would eat. The nomadic people of Siberia would then eat that reindeer, which caused an outbreak of anthrax in the area, leading to the reindeer being vaccinated,” she adds.
It’s this intellectual curiosity that the Forty Acres Scholarship recognizes. According to UT Austin, the program typically receives almost 5,000 applications from which they select 18-22 scholars. Acceptances are based on high academics, a genuine desire for a broad education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and the capacity for imagination and originality.
When she can take a break from her full academic load, Frances is a member of the varsity soccer team, runs track and cross country, and serves as Peer Council president. As a member of Wilson Society, and a talented pianist, she worked on a project called Keys with Kids in which she taught piano lessons to kids at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. She credits Hutchison with helping her find a way to balance her busy schedule and do everything she wants to do.
With so many interests, where will she land? She has plans to one day work in the medical field but is unsure of whether that means she will become a doctor or work in non-profit administration. Frances’ experience shadowing Dr. Jess Wesberry, an ophthalmologist at UT Clinical Health and husband of upper school science teacher Mary Lee Wesberry, made a lasting impression.
“It was amazing to shadow Dr. Wesberry! He works mainly with med school residents in a clinic for uninsured patients. That generated an interest in a college major of public health, which would allow me to explore how we navigate health deficits and disparities between those who can afford medical care and those who can’t.”
If she were to pick a medical specialty right now, Frances says obstetrics and gynecology interest her the most.
“Memphis has such a high maternal-fetal mortality rate,” she says. “Being an OBGYN is definitely something I have thought about and considered because I would love to one day try to help change that statistic.”
In addition to tuition and a living stipend, the scholarship provides an enrichment stipend for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study at the University of Texas at Austin. Odds are excellent that Frances will put those enrichment experiences to good use.
"I think my time in France, which is what I credit for my love of wines, ties back to taking French classes at Hutchison,” Katie Griesbeck ’96 said. “We started French in junior kindergarten and took classes until about sixth grade. I elected to pick it back up when I was in high school, and it set me up to be a Francophile for life. I loved the language, and that’s what inspired me to go to the Burgundy region of France when I was in college."
For the first time in school history, Hutchison's varsity basketball team won the TSSAA DII-AA state championship after defeating Knoxville Catholic 41-34.
Victoria Martin ’21 wants to be able to reflect on her more than 12 years at Hutchison and know that she did what she could to make things easier for black students who came after her. Victoria was one of six seniors who participated in a candid panel about race relations this week at Hutchison to commemorate Black History Month. The other students were seniors Nia Drayton, Dakota Shelton, Camilla Johnson, Kiya Brown, and Micah Watkins.
The University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars program is recognized as one of the two leading scholarship programs in the country. Out of more than 2,000 nominations from around the world, approximately 120 finalists are selected after rigorous regional competitions and interviews.
She has a full plate of academics, volunteer work, leadership responsibilities, and extracurriculars, and she has the work ethic to succeed in anything she puts her mind to. She credits Hutchison for instilling in her that anything is possible.
As with many academic adventures at Hutchison, a weeklong lesson on computer science and coding transformed into an interdisciplinary exploration for our girls as teachers from various subjects incorporated coding activities into their day-to-day lessons.
It's all about mental toughness... How you rise to accept a new challenge after you fall down. Make no mistake, these Hutchison girls are in it to win it this year.
This might seem like a silly question: Are you a dog person or a cat person? Why? Now imagine you’re a dog lover and you can’t understand the enthusiasm of a cat aficionado. Or vice versa. Suppose you have to explain your passion for your favorite pet to a person who disagrees with you. How do you communicate your beliefs civilly?
When Leah Grace Wolf is not thinking about solving a science problem or tinkering with a new invention, you can find her at the mixed martial arts gym, thinking about next steps to overpower her opponent. This National Merit Commended Student is the epitome of a Hutchison girl who enjoys exploring a variety of interests.
When Ms. Prewitt’s Pre-Kindergarten class went to the farm recently to look at carrots they had planted, Mrs. Riddle, the director of environmental education and sustainability, was in a bit of a pickle. She said she desperately needed help with her crop of cucumbers.
An outstanding student, avid reader, star volleyball player, and strong leader, Layla Truitt lives up to the Hutchison mission of showing girls they can go anywhere they can imagine.
Sophie Mansour ’21 wants to help young people see diseases and their impact more clearly. Whether it is a classmate with diabetes or asthma, or a family member with Alzheimer’s, Sophie believes everyone would benefit from a deeper understanding. So she created the Memphis Medical Awareness Club at Hutchison, and that’s just the beginning for this conscientious entrepreneur.
Think of them as warm-up stretches – for the brain. Each one of Joe Koelsch’s 7th grade math lessons begins with a “bell ringer.” It encourages the girls to “open up their brains” before class, he says.
Jamie Sokoloff’s '21 teachers describe her as bright and highly motivated. Those adjectives definitely fit this high performer who has her plate full with extracurriculars.
At Hutchison, a girl can explore her unique place in the world through the wonder of art. We're making sure that tradition continues, even in a pandemic.
Juniors and seniors in Deborah Brown’s Women’s History class commemorated Women’s Equality Day with a video confirming that their generation is a force to be reckoned with.
Celia Economides ’97 is well acquainted with persistence. As an executive at a biotech company in San Francisco, persistence is a trait that comes in handy. Fostering the development of new drugs for rare diseases often requires soliciting millions of dollars in investments, decades of trial and error in the labs, and lots and lots of patience.
Caroline Halliday '21 had her Hutchison social science certificate project all planned out. She wanted to start a Community Supported Agriculture vegetable subscription service for Hutchison families, but with a pay-it-forward twist: for every one purchased by a Hutchison family, she would provide one for a family in need in Memphis. Then the pandemic hit, and her plans got turned upside down.