Kaleesa Houston is one of 55 female high school seniors from around the state honored for their outstanding athletic, academic, and service achievements. She received the Athena Award this spring. Athena is known as the goddess of wisdom and skills.
Kaleesa was given the award for excelling in competition and in the classroom.
Her stand-out cross-country accomplishments include current Section 2AA champion, state qualifier 2016–2019, all-conference 2016–2019, team captain, and current 5K girls’ school record holder. In track, Kaleesa was all-conference 2016–2019 and a 2018–2019 state qualifier. She also set a new school record this track season in the 3200m.
In the classroom, Kaleesa’s academic record reflects multiple academic all-state and spotlight on scholarship recognitions. As one of four officers in Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), she helped raise drug addiction awareness with a red ribbon project, created posters, and made “stay sober” goodie bags for prom. Her well-rounded background also includes a black belt in karate and service as a Carver County Library volunteer.
Cross-country teammates Addy Kaeding and Kate Ulrich describe Kaleesa as incredibly kind, supportive, and extra welcoming. “Kaleesa takes legitimate interest in your success for the day and leads the team in having fun, finding ways to laugh even during hard workouts,” Ulrich shared. “She never stops pushing herself and leads us through example, making her incredibly deserving of her long-standing position as 5K record holder and fastest distance runner on the team. We will all miss her next year, and I know she will find success, both in her college running career and academics.”
Kaleesa plans to attend North Dakota State University where she will run on the cross-country and track teams and pursue an exercise science degree to become a physical therapist.