She’s an Aries, 5’ 5”, blonde and an avid sunlight enthusiast. She enjoys rain, long walks on the beach and cocoa puffs. She’s been to six countries, speaks multiple languages and plays four instruments. She’s going to possibly quadruple minor. She’s First-year Catherine Keith, and she means business.

Catherine has been to Spain, Italy, Canada, Iceland, Finland and all around the U.S. During her junior year of high school, she lived in Sweden, and during spring break this year she plans to volunteer in Nicaragua.

Catherine plans to major in Spanish and minor in scandinavian studies, music, art and latin american, latino and caribbean studies.

“She knows, like, 700 languages, I’m pretty sure,” said Sophomore Jordan Walker, a good friend of Catherine’s.

Although 700 might be a stretch, she does know more than your average bear. She is fluent in both English and Swedish; she dabbles in American Sign Language and Italian; she is majoring in Spanish and took an Arabic class for her 2009 January Interim Experience.

She puts her knowledge to good use, working as a Swedish tutor throughout the week. “I’m taking Swedish [101] this semester, and she’s helped me on more than one occasion,” said Sophomore Music Major Logan Arndt. “We have very brief conversations in both Swedish and Spanish. I suck at both of them, but she’s great.”

With a dialectic resume of such great proportions, it’s easy to understand that Catherine likes to talk. More often than not, she can be found in the Market Place sitting and talking with friends for hours. “People keep coming in, and you can just sit with them in the sunshine, because the [Market Place] has really good natural light,” said Catherine.

Photography is one of her many passions, especially photography that involves interesting lighting. It is rare to catch her without a camera in hand, and many of her friends request that she photograph their lives.

Her favorite place on campus is Christ Chapel “[because it gives her the] opportunity to take amazing photos with the intricate windows. It’s visually and architecturally interesting [in] shape,” said First-year Mary Dierkes.

“Three out of four of my [Facebook] profile photos have been taken by Catherine Keith,” said First-year Benjamin Batz.

Other than being a profile photo professional, she is also a photographer for THE GUSTAVIAN WEEKLY.

Although spontaneity is not her middle name (it’s Michelle), it could be, and not too many people would be surprised. She’s all about a good time.

“[Recently], Catherine took me to her house and made pancakes for me. Not only did she make pancakes for me, but she made them in the shape of animals. There was an albatross, an elephant, a jellyfish and a ladybug,” said First-year Ben Kolis.

Catherine stays active on campus, involving herself in more activities than you can shake a stick at. Musically, she is a member of the Gustavus Chapel Choir, Woodwind Choir and Cantorum.

“Catherine Keith likes to tell people she has a man-voice, but that’s not true. Whenever she sings in Daily Chapel, she surprises me with how bright and lovely her voice is,” said Batz.

Catherine also keeps busy playing piano, guitar and taking harp lessons. She plays the bassoon, too, but she prefers “instruments where you can sing while you play.”

“One of my favorite things to do with Catherine Keith is [to listen to] her play songs on the piano in the Chapel. She never [pauses] between songs. She just keeps going and can play for an hour without stopping,” said Batz.

Ultimate Frisbee, Swing Club and Sauna Society are also lucky to have her as a member of their organizations.

“It seems like she is just right there with me every time I’m in the sauna. … Open the door, walk in, there’s Catherine Keith,” said Sophomore Music Major and Sauna Society Treasurer Sarah Cartwright.

Other than standing out for her involvement on campus, her unique style is eye-catching. “If you incorporate one clashing color into one outfit more than once, everything matches,” said Catherine.

Her outfits are always bright and stand out in a crowd. Friends describe her style as “hippie-like. She wears tie-dye daily, sleeps in tie-dye, breathes tie-dye. I think she’s up to twenty shirts,” said Dierkes.
Her eclectic style involves thrift store finds, H&M gems and the occasional borrowed item. “She dresses really well, but mostly I just want to say ‘Give me my t-shirt back, Catherine Keith,’” said Walker.