“You have to be persistent” – Katie Ledecky describes her work ethic
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is not just the finest in the water, but her skills go well beyond that. The Stanford alumnus has achieved great athletic success.
She made an appearance on the high school YouTube channel 'Eliot Hine Network1' on YouTube. She was asked several questions. But at the start of the interview, one of the show's hosts asked Ledecky about her work ethic and she gracefully replied:
"I would say persistence.. I think, you have to be persistent... through the ups and the downs, there are going to be good days and bad days and you have to work really hard even on the bad days and continue to work towards your your goals, no matter if you're feeling really good or if you're feeling pretty bad on a day, You have to be persistent and keep working"
Katie Ledecky attends 'Stem Forward'
Katie Ledecky joined a show titled 'Stem Forward' to educate her younger audience about the importance of education. At the start of the interview, all three hosts greeted her and welcomed her to the show.
She was asked how her swimming career started. Ledecky explained to the young interviewers that when she was six years old, her mother used to take her and her brother to the swimming pool. They used to love to stay in the pool. She eventually carried on swimming and never looked back.
Later, another young interviewer asked Katie Ledecky what was on her mind when she secured her first Olympic gold. To which she replied:
"My first Olympic gold medal, when I was 15 years old, and it was pretty surreal... it's hard to even remember exactly what I was thinking, but I think my first thought was just, 'Oh my gosh, you know, did that just happen,' and it was really exciting to finally see my family afterwards and give them a big hug and celebrate a little bit with some family and friends..."
After the break, Katie Ledecky was asked how STEM, i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths helps students achieve success.
"Well, I think every career here today involves those skills. So I think it's really important for students... I think it'll pay dividends down the future. You'll be able to use everything you're learning...anywhere you're going to be using technology, you're going to be using math, science, engineering."
The Olympic champion was later questioned as to what she thinks about students prioritizing their studies in the classroom. She gave a detailed answer, stating her own experience.
"It's really important to focus on your studies in the classroom and set goals for yourself... even when I was swimming and going to the Olympics, in high school and in college, my studies were one of my top priorities and I made sure that I was studying as hard as I was swimming and getting both done... "
In the end, a young interviewer asked Katie Ledecky about her thoughts on 'whether giving up is an option'. She enlightened her young audience by saying:
"You can't give up... things don't always go right the first time... it doesn't always go the way you expect it to go and so whenever that happens, you have to just keep trying and keep working hard... and eventually you're going to see progress and you're going to see yourself working closer and closer to that goal..."