At a very young age, Kie had developed a passion for various different sports such as running, gymnastics and swimming. She trained every morning before school and made it to the state championship track meet and the National Junior Olympics for cross-country. On the way home from the state championship track meet where she had won three events, Kie was in an automobile accident resulting in spinal cord injury. The fourth-grader did not give up but dedicated herself to rehabilitation at Project Walk, where she met Swim With Mike Board members, Mike and Betsy Thomas. The mental and physical strength that Kie used on her path to recovery has served her well in her academic pursuits. Kie graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology with emphasis on Human Biology and Health Sciences. She helped with the annual Swim With Mike event at Cal for the four years that she was there.

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