16-year-old Katie Anderton can be found on the volleyball court at Davis High School these days. This hasn’t always been the case. Less than a year ago, Anderton and her family made the transcontinental move from Okinawa, Japan to Kaysville, Utah. That big of a move could not have been easy, especially after being in Japan for two years. Katie says the hardest part of moving back was the immense culture shock she faced the first few weeks back.

“The hardest part of coming back to the states from Japan was the culture shock. What I mean by this is that in japan their society is focused around making their environment/community a better place, where as in the states society’s tendency is to focus on oneself and how a person can make THEIR lives better. I feel like that because the Japanese think this way that their lives as a whole are better, making it a really nice place to live. Coming back to the states I realize that a big part of this selfless way of thinking is missing and it makes me sad,” said Katie Anderton.

While in Japan, sports were a huge part of Katie’s life. She played three sports: soccer, volleyball, and basketball. She even ran cross country for her school varsity team. She lettered in all 4 of these sports. Because she is so involved in sports, she says that the move to Kaysville was easier than it probably would have been having she not played volleyball.

“By being on the Davis volleyball team I have found the transition to a new high school to be a lot easier than it could’ve been. I have been able to gain many close relationships with my teammates and have had an amazing season with all of them.”

When she graduates, Katie wants to study to be a pharmacist or something else in the medical field. Anderton says she wants to attend school on the West coast after finishing her generals in Utah.

“After high school I want to pursue pharmacy or another medical profession(I am trying to keep my eyes open to other careers within the medical field as well). Although I am not 100% certain on which college I want to go to, I know that it will be on the west coast and will be a college with a high level pharmacy program (once I finish my generals locally in utah).”

Davis High is lucky to have an athlete and student as dedicated as Katie Anderton.