The spring of my freshman year, I joined the TCNJ Tap Ensemble and met the president, Katherine Briski, who I had been communicating with ever since I found out that TCNJ had a tap ensemble. Upon meeting her, I discovered that she was one of the most determined, intelligent, talented and inspiring people I’ve met on this campus.
Katherine is a Class of 2019, Biology major in the 7 year med program, and a part of many organizations on campus. She is a member of Alpha Zeta seven year medical society, of which she served in the position of research chair, a member of Tri Beta, biology honor society, Alpha Phi Omega, service fraternity, a member of pep band, a tutor in the TCNJ Tutoring Center and a research assistant in the bio department, not to mention founding and serving as the president of the TCNJ Tap Ensemble until this past fall.
As a 7 year med student, she is only spending three years here, going to New Jersey Medical School in what would be her senior year, getting one step closer to her dream of becoming a pediatric doctor. However, since Katherine was able to finish her coursework in 2.5 years instead of three, she applied to and got accepted to the Disney college program, where she will spend her spring semester before starting medical school in August.
I asked Katherine what made her apply to the Disney college program and she told me that since she knew she had only three years of college instead of the usual four, and she wanted to enjoy the freedom that came with not having to worry about applying to medical school, so she took advantage of this opportunity she would never get again as the program is only open to current college students.
She said what she’s looking forward to the most at Disney is being able to be a cast member and working at a place where she can be a part of creating special moments for others like the ones she experienced there. As for medical school after, she knows it will be a lot of work, but becoming a doctor in the end will be rewarding enough to make up for the hard work.
I wondered what had sparked her determination to become a doctor so much, because it is clear to see just how passionate she is about the career and how much she enjoys her classes when you talk to her. She explained that her father is a doctor, so growing up, it was a career she was curious about and was familiar with. Additionally, as she discovered how much she enjoyed science and working with children, so she sees pediatric medicine as a great combination of her interests.
As the number of commitments and responsibilities Katherine holds has grown each semester, she said that each of the groups and activities have contributed in their own ways to her time at TCNJ. She told me that one of the most meaningful things she’s been a part of was the Tap Ensemble because it’s been like her baby since she started the process of creating it her freshman year. She said that she knows the group will continue strong even without her in the future.
When I asked her why she decided to create tap ensemble, she told me that since it is something she has done since the age of two, she didn’t want to stop tapping at TCNJ. Since there was previously no tap team, she decided to create the opportunity for others who were passionate enough about the dance to continue it until college. Meeting quite a few students here who felt the same way, she created the group with them. In the time I’ve been a part of it, Tap Ensemble has come a long way, growing and changing a lot.
The founding process was not without its challenges however. Katherine said that beyond simply being recognized as a club by student government, there were a lot of details that needed to be seen to, such as the purchasing of proper dance floors for tappers. She said that having a supportive e-board and knowing that if they got through these details, they would have an opportunity to tap at TCNJ was what got them through the initial founding challenges.
Now that she has finished her time at TCNJ, and is on her way to many new adventures, I asked Katherine to share some of her favorite memories or moments from her time here. Despite being involved with so many interesting things, she said that the day to day moments, like spending time with friends in class, watching movies with them, working in the research lab, being at club meetings really made TCNJ a home.
However, one of the moments that will always stick with her is the TCNJ Tap Ensemble performance at Dorney Park in the Spring of 2017. It was our group’s first performance, and to Katherine especially, it was a reward for the hard work that went into starting the group and making it a vibrant ensemble. Since I was also a part of that day with Tap Ensemble, I can honestly say that the performance will stay in the memories of all the members of the club who were there in addition to Katherine.
As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve also been sad to know that her time at TCNJ was shorter than for most of us, but I am always going to be grateful that I got to know her and especially for all she’s done creating Tap Ensemble. She created a group that has a special place in the hearts of all its members, because like she said, tap is a very niche dance, and so those of us who are still dancing it in college care deeply for it.
I am confident in Katherine’s success in the future, at Disney, at medical school and in her future as a doctor. While she may have left TCNJ, she’s going on to bigger and better things and has the support of many people here. Good luck at Disney and NJMS, Katherine!