#SoCaltech: Kathryn Edwards
“It’s hard to process that I’m already getting close to the end of my career at Caltech. It’s been a great experience—from building bonds with my basketball teammates and people in my house to getting into my major classes and doing a SURF where I worked on impact ionization for dust particles in space at the University of Colorado Boulder.
One of the most valuable things to me has been my relationship with my teammates. They’re genuinely some of the most brilliant and kind people I’ve ever met. Being able to spend time together every single week for months has allowed us to develop an unusually close bond; it’s really difficult to find a full team as close as we are.
As captain, my teammates are my best friends, but on the court there are times where I need to be the person who takes charge and makes sure we’re getting the most out of every practice. We challenge each other daily to be our best, ensuring we’re ready for game day.
My goals for my final season are to enjoy my time with my teammates while also pushing for personal records. I try to focus on the team goals first, and the rest follows. It’s more satisfying to have victories as a team rather than just focusing on personal stats.
After graduating, there are two things I’ll miss the most: One is the people. Knowing that my friends won’t be a door away anymore will be a lot harder. And on a different note, I’ll miss the challenge of being at Caltech. Balancing everything from the course load to basketball is difficult. But I really enjoy the challenge. Something I’ve learned is that it’s OK to fail. A lot of students come in not having been pushed to our limits or experiencing failure. But here, we gain the understanding that it’s OK to fail, and we learn the skills to bounce back and continue striving for our best.”
Kathryn Edwards is a fourth-year undergraduate studying mechanical engineering and aerospace. As captain of the women’s basketball team, she has led the team through a successful season while also achieving numerous accolades throughout her four years. On January 29, Edwards broke Caltech’s all-time scoring record in women’s basketball, earning a career total of 1,420 points to date. The team has four remaining home games as of February 11 and aims to qualify for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament by the end of February.
#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.