Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Mackenzie Coulthard: The thing that I have enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout my life is the close relationships I have gained in the process as well as the amount of confidence I have gained from playing. When I was younger I was extremely shy and having sports there growing up really brought out my personality as well as, I was able to become more confident on and off the court.
D’Adamo: What are your plans after high school?
Coulthard: After high school I will be taking a gap year. My first semester will be with a program called ARCC (Adventures Cross-Country), where I will be living and traveling Asia, mostly in Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Japan. My time there will be spent teaching english in an Urban High School, spending the night on the Great Wall of China, visiting a Tibetan town nestled in the Himalayas called Shangri-La, learning the effects that Agent Orange had on those living in Vietnam by working with youth at a village outside Hanoi, installing clean water filters in homes in Cambodia, learning about human trafficking at a Khmer NGO, shadowing nurses while at a homestay in a small Thai village, staying at a elephant rehabilitation center in Thailand, and much more. My second semester will be with Semester at Sea where I will circumnavigate the world on a cruise ship.
We start in San Diego, then move to Honolulu: Hawaii, Yokohama and Kobe: Japan, Shanghai and Hong Kong: China, Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam, Rangoon: Burma, Cochin: India, Cape Town: Africa, Tema and Takoradi: Burma, then to Casablanca: Morocco, and finally finishing in London: England. While in this semester I will be taking college classes for required credit while at sea and enjoying the experience these places have to offer. Then to MSU (Montana State University) where I will finish my schooling.
D’Adamo: What might you choose as a major? What intrigues you about going that direction?
Coulthard: As a major I will be pursuing Architecture with a minor in Interior Design. I have been stuck on this profession since middle school and have become more and more intrigued by it since. During my gap year I am hoping to become more well rounded in my style ability when it comes to architecture, seeing all these different places with different design customs I believe will really help me in the long run with my dream of becoming an architect and interior designer.
D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at St. Helena High?
Coulthard: My favorite class would probably have to be my Junior year of Biology with Mr.O’Connor. I learned so much about biology and science in general ,all through daily classroom conversation with Mr. O. He is so enthusiastic about his teaching, that he makes anyone want to listen to him. Though I am not pursuing a career in Science, him as a teacher made that class by far my favorite, I can honestly say I was never bored.
D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?
Coulthard: My entire family has been so extremely influential throughout my life, both my parents have made great careers for themselves that they love my Dad’s being a self run business called PZS Stabilization, and my Mom in the wine industry, working as a business manager of a up and coming winery called Young Ridge Winery.
My dad grew up in the tree business which I admire for the hard work and love for his job that he had, as well as, importance of nature that he has carried throughout his life in business and in general, which has been my influence for my love of nature and strive for a career that I love. My mom influences me greatly in her bravery and adventurousness being that she spent 10 years in the air force, finishing as a staff sergeant. She makes me want to do things in my life to live up to her bravery and willingness to open a door into something she didn’t know much about. I am hoping to open doors into new lives with my gap year. Finally, my sister, one year older then me, has influenced me greatly in sports. She is the reason I started playing Volleyball and has been one of my biggest supporters my whole life.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?
Coulthard: A historical figure I would love to meet is Stevie Wonder. I would love to meet this historical figure because he touched so many people doing something he absolutely loved, which is what I strive for. He was able to move through so many obstacles in his life which held him back immensely, and is also one of the reasons why I believe his music is so legendary to this day.
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