PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — This week’s Scholar Athlete of the Week sponsored by Perry and Young P.A. is Bay’s Kahlan Gant.
“She exudes what you want out of an athlete. You know, it’s not a right to wear the uniform it’s a privilege,” Bay High School Head Weightlifting Coach Greg Bailie said. “She embodies what Bay High School is.”
Gant has been weightlifting for two years. In her first season, she won silver at state competition.
“It’s a certain drive,” Gant said. “I don’t like to lose.”
She wanted more in her senior season, pushing herself to win two gold medals at state.
“It was surreal. Look, don’t get me wrong, we’ve been preparing the whole season to do that, and I didn’t get to do exactly what I wanted, but I did get to achieve my goal,” Gant said.
Gant has a 4.3 GPA, is a member of the Student Government Association, and volunteers around her school and community whenever she can.
“She’s driven,” Bailie said. “She’s going to work. She’s going to do everything she has to do to push herself to the next level.”
After high school, she will attend Florida A&M University to study mechanical engineering.
“Like of course everybody is like I want to be a lawyer,” Gant said. “I want to be a doctor. And I just wanted to be outside of that lens and still be in STEM.”
She wants to use her degree to follow her dreams of designing cars.
