Grace Bittlingmaier, class of 2025 at Glenbard South, is starting her sophomore year off strong with more than fifteen extracurriculars.

This driven young lady is a role model for all ambitious students and a great representation of South and all of its hard working students as a result of her ambitious progress and goals.

At the ripe age of five, Grace began her journey into a wide range of extracurricular activities. As soon as she was introduced to band and orchestra, she knew that music would play a large role in her future. 

“It really comes back to the fact that I don’t know how to physically say no to things,” Bittlingmaier confessed, “I’ve double booked myself and triple booked myself to help people out, and that’s why everyone is like, ‘Do you live at the school?’ Yes, I do.” 

Most people find Bittlingmaier’s schedule overwhelming, but she just thinks of it as her lifestyle. Bittlingmaier is not used to taking breaks, and the COVID-19 pandemic only brought out her persistence.

 “All my activities got stopped and all my classes that year [got stopped also]. I was on the brink of an A for everything because I was so used to such a ‘go go go’ schedule that I only knew how to work with that,” Bittlingmaier remembered.

“I have had the same goal in my life since I was seven,” Bittlingmaier remarked. “I’ve always wanted to work for NASA, and I’ve always known the steps to get there.” She lives by the philosophy that being good at a wide range of activities is just as good as excelling  at one. Her expansive list of clubs second this notion of well-roundedness. 

One may ask how she is able to maintain her relationships with so many commitments. “I’m going to be honest. I know my friends get really fed up with not seeing me a ton,” admitted the three sport athlete. She clearly sees her time as valuable, so she is incredibly grateful for the days she does get to spend with friends.

As a result of Grace’s hard work, she is one of the most successful people at the school. Her success does not stop here, and her Glenbard South peers look forward to seeing her growth in the future and her achieving her goal.