Q+A with Katherine (Goodwin) Marshall ’04

Katherine attended GUS from sixth through eighth grade, graduating in 2004. After GUS, she attended The Governor's Academy where she continued to excel in the classroom and on the basketball court. Katherine was team captain and the Independent School League MVP in her senior year. She was also a Boston Globe All-Scholastic award winner. She went on to Bentley University where she was a starter for the team.

A big fan of warm, fun-loving, and caring communities, Katherine has maintained close friendships with many friends from GUS! She came back to visit GUS a few years back for the school's 40+Forward Reunion.

What was one of your most meaningful or memorable GUS experiences?

GUS provided me with so many memories that it is very hard to choose. I am going to have to go with one of the most meaningful memories, my 8th grade dance performance. When I came to GUS in the sixth grade, it was an entirely different world than I was used to. In my previous school ‘athlete’ was all I was truly known for, and GUS opened my eyes to so much more. That 8th grade performance, when I found out I could dance and I actually loved it, stayed with me forever. The best part was that I never heard a single statement related to "wow, you can do more than play sports!" I was just Katherine at GUS. Someone who loved sports, but found love in art, dance, math, and creative writing. I was a person! That performance sealed that for me.

Where are you now, and what are you doing?

I currently live in Hillsborough, NH with my husband, two sons, and two dogs. My career is a stay-at-home Mum, which is something I never saw myself doing, but it is where I am meant to be. I am homeschooling my 3-year-old, Adam, for preschool. It is so much fun and I wouldn't trade this time with him for anything. My 15-month-old, Gerard, has been walking since he was 8 months old and I can barely keep up with him!

Besides being a stay-at-home Mum, I run an antiques business called Tymes Past & Present with my parents. This was their business when I was very young, which they gave up to provide my siblings and I with the adventures we had in sports. I found love in antiques at a young age and am beyond lucky to have a small, family-owned business that has started to take off this past year.

In what ways do you feel GUS prepared you for what you're doing now?

GUS opened my eyes to the fact that there is not a single person who can decide who I am or what I love besides me. I wanted to play basketball overseas, but shoulder injuries forced me to stop playing. Being lost is an understatement after I gave up the sport. I coached for a while, but something was missing. Children were never on my radar, but like I said, GUS taught me that sometimes there is more to me than I even know. Once my husband and I had our firstborn, I discovered there is nothing I love more than being a mother. GUS also taught me that I am capable of anything. Leaving my job and deciding to start a business was terrifying. Although we are small and just getting going, I know that I have the strength and capabilities to do it. GUS is a special place. It is a place that I hold extremely close to my heart.

Any words of advice for current GUS students?

Soak it all in! There is no place in the world like GUS. Take every opportunity you get to participate, talk to your teachers and peers, and never close a single door until you have walked through and tried what is on the other side.

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