Kara Prince
Bio
Lakota West Class of 2004: Soccer, Basketball, Track
Kara was a multi-sport athlete who starred in soccer, basketball, and track and field. She was the first Lakota West athlete to earn nine varsity letters, four each in soccer and basketball; and one in track and field. She was Lakota West's female Pringle Award winner for the class of 2004. She earned All GMC 1st team honors twice for soccer and once for basketball. In all she was named to six All GMC teams; three for soccer, two for basketball, and one for track. She received additional recognition as both a soccer and basketball player by being named to various city, county, and southwest Ohio teams.
Her consistently outstanding performances contributed to great team success. She was on the roster of four GMC championship teams, three for soccer and one for basketball. She was a team co-captain of one (soccer, 2003) and a starter on three of these league championship teams. As a basketball player, her name still stands in eighth place on the Lakota District all time steals list. She set the Lakota West high jump record in 2004, her first and only high school track season. This record stood seven years before it was broken. She is a member of the Lakota Hall of Fame.
Kara continued her athletic career by lettering for four years on the University of Illinois soccer team. While at Illinois she played in 61 intercollegiate matches, and was in the starting line-up for 28 of those contests. She started all 24 matches of her senior year, which included qualification for and participation in the 2006 NCAA Division 1 tournament game.
Kara earned her BS in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois and her Masters from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently a speech and language pathologist at Mercy Fairfield Hospital
Favorites
BOOK FOR LEADERS: A Champion Within by Lauren Gregg and Legacy by James Kerr
ATHLETE: Aaron Rodgers
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM: Green Bay Packers
SPORTS MOVIE: Miracle
PODCAST: Swallow Your Pride (nerdy podcast for Speech Language Pathologists) and Serial
FACEBOOK: Kara Prince
QUOTE THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU:
'Difficult is our Decision.' Each year at Illinois we would have a team motto for the season. This was one of my favorites that I connected with.
IF YOU KNEW THEN WHAT YOU KNOW NOW…WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE HIGH SCHOOL KARA?:
I would tell myself to 'Enjoy it more. Every second.' You always hear people older than you tell you it goes by way too fast, and they're all right! I would also tell myself to be more confident (not cocky, but confident in myself) especially as a freshman/ sophomore playing (at any level). You have nothing to lose and you can surprise a lot of people if you go in with some more confidence.
THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A FIREBIRD WAS…
Being able to play multiple sports and create everlasting memories, having different coaches, mentors and teachers that were very influential in shaping who I am today.
CURRENT JOB: I'm a speech language pathologist. I work in an acute rehabilitation unit at Mercy Fairfield Hospital with adults. I mostly work with patients who have sustained neurological impairments such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury that affect their speech, cognition and/ or swallowing.
ANYTHING ELSE FUN THAT WE SHOULD KNOW?: I've been married for one year, I'm pregnant with my first child and am due in May!