Kara Gostisha

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 the 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!