|
 Mary
Katherine Dickey, valedictorian for the DHS class of 2007, is a good
example of someone whose parents have the “roots and wings” things
down right. She states simply that her father, Dr. Howard Dickey, is
her “idol and hero” and that her mother, Kelly Dickey, is her “best
friend” and that the thought of leaving them to attend the University
of Texas is somewhat daunting. But at the same time, she knows she
will leave, and more importantly, that she’ll survive, and so will her
parents. And that eventually, when she’s living her dream to
participate in “Doctors Without Borders,” she’ll be able to draw on
the strength of character instilled in her by her parents and small
town upbringing.
“I can’t imagine having any other
parents,” Mary Katherine said, “they’ve been so wonderful to me. I’m
going to miss them so much...but it will be a good thing for me to get
out and do something on my own, and knowing they support me will
help.”
Mary Katherine came to DeLeon in fourth
grade, and was welcomed so warmly that it shocked her recently to
realize that she wouldn’t be a part of the traditional “13 year” photo
for graduation.
“That’s how DeLeon is,” Mary Katherine
said, “once you’re here, it’s like you have been here your whole life.
Our class is so close, I can’t imagine the isolation of a big school.
Mary Katherine recalls that her fifth
grade year was one of her favorites.
“My fifth grade year is, by far, one of
my favorite years to look back on,” she said. “I don’t remember
exactly what it was, but I remember Mrs. (Terrill) Casey, Mrs. (Linda)
Lindley and Mrs. (Sherry) Weaver, they made it so much fun. Even now
when I see them, they’re the dearest women. I just love them. I never
dreaded going to school.”
In middle school, Mary Katherine said
that math teacher Leisa Nowlin made an impression on her.
“She made everyone feel so comfortable,”
Mary Katherine said. “We were lucky enough to have her all three years
of middle school. She’s definitely made a huge impact on my life.
There are so many teachers though, who influence you in some way, and
give you the confidence you need.”
This last year has proved to be an
emotional roller coaster.
“Everybody knows that your senior year’s
the best, and goes by so fast,” Mary Katherine said, “but I could
never have imagined it being the way it is...there are so many “last”
moments, the last pep rally and so on, and we’ve all gotten so close.
This is the last 180 days that we’ll spend together. Yes, our paths
may cross in the future, but it will never be the same, we won’t be
walking down these halls together. And it’s gone by so fast -- it
seems like just yesterday that we were at the football games.”
In addition to football games, Mary
Katherine said she tried to attend every high school sports event
possible. “I’m not the athletic type,” she said, “but I’ve helped with
all the athletic events. I’ve been the statistician for the girls’
basketball, volleyball and track teams, and helped with the guys’
basketball.”
She’s also busy with her church, First
United Methodist, as co-president of the youth group. She’s also
president of the Student Council, the National Honor Society, senior
class president, and president of the Junior Bank Board at Farmers and
Merchants Bank. She also works at the bank.
Mary Katherine participated in One-Act
Play, the Angel Tree program, Peer Buddies at the elementary school,
and was the featured “drunk driver” in the recent “Shattered Dreams”
program. “I’m glad that I am involved in so much,” she said, “and I’m
not wearing myself thin. I enjoy it all.” As noted previously, Mary
Katherine’s future plans include attending UT. “I’m going pre-med,”
she said, “because I can’t remember a time I didn’t want to be a
doctor. I’ve always wanted to help people and to make people feel
better. Now when I get down there, it may be the biggest shock and I
might change my mind, but I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.”
A surgical specialist is what Mary
Katherine has in mind. “I want to work in reconstructive and plastic
surgery,” she said. “It’s not the plastics like 90210, it’s mostly
things like cleft palettes, and other deformities and abnormalities.”
She got a first-hand glance at some of these problems while
participating in several different mission trips, and said that a
chance to help those less fortunate live a normal life would truly be
her dream job.
Mary Katherine describes her brother
Will, a third grader, as one of the smartest people she knows.
“He knows the most abstract information,”
she said, going on to describe a typical sibling relationship. “He’s
adopted and I feel so blessed, because he’s like a gift from God to
us.”
“Oh, everything,” is the response when
asked about her favorite type of music. “I like Jimmy Buffet and Z.Z.
Top,” Mary Katherine said, “and classical music and operas.” She goes
on to explain that her mother has gone to great lengths to assure that
her education, musical and otherwise, has been culturally diverse.
“And every year we go to New York, not just to shop, but to go to the
museums and such, and to expand my views.”
When a silly, fun question was thrown her
way -- what fictional character would you like to be? -- Mary
Katherine responded with the usual enthusiasm. “Definitely Belle, from
Beauty and the Beast,” she said.
“That’s my favorite movie of all time.
It’s got such a good moral, you see past the outer appearance of
somebody and look into their heart. Because that’s where the real
person is. It would be nice to have her (Belle’s) compassion to
somebody that was a ‘beast.’” |
