Cello is magic in the hands of Kearns-St. Ann's Katie McMahon

SALT LAKE CITY — Katie McMahon’s father, Dr. William McMahon told his youngest child to "dream big." At just 13, Katie is reaping the benefits of taking his advice. Katie has been playing the cello since she was in kindergarten, and a quarter-sized cello was just right. As she enters the eighth grade at Kearns-St. Ann School, her three-quarter sized cello goes with her.

Originally a cello student of Davis Asman, Katie studies now with Joyce Otterstrom. She practices an hour a day, and regularly plays with the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Chamber Orchestra. When the Intermountain Catholic met with Katie and her mother, Molly, May 19, the chamber orchestra had been competing. They had placed high.

"I went to the Madeleine Choir School from grades three through five," Katie said. "Now, I’m in Kearns-St. Ann. I needed more time for the cello and for swimming."

An admitted "social bee," Katie also skis, placed 10th in the western states in diving, and plays tennis. This summer she will spend time at the State of Utah Chamber Orchestra camp.

"I’ve always loved music, and my parents have encouraged me," Katie said. "Mom plays the violin, and even took up the cello for awhile so we could play together."

Katie’s taste in music is eclectic. She plays modern music and Celtic folk tunes. She likes the works of Copland and Bach, and for competitions she has been playing the theme music from the film, "Edward Scissorhands."

"Despite all the practice involved, I find ways to have a very social life," she said. "I’m looking forward to going to Judge Memorial for high school."

Katie will breeze into high school in a year. She’s already taking high school algebra classes, and is fully involved in the Discovery Channel’s Young Scientist Challenge and Camp NASA at Westminster College. She enjoys reading, especially historical fiction.

"I won an award in the Diocesan Science Fair. My experiment was an analysis of the effectiveness of stain removers. Are they endemic or are they real? I would say, don’t buy them."

Highly articulate, Katie was recognized for her oral explanations of her experiments. "I am also working on a National Geographic science project that studies deep migratory DNA – where people have come from generations ago."

Passionate about many things, Katie still has a lot of big dreams. She believes parts of the U.S. Government are broken systems. "I’d like to fix them," she said.

Watch out world; here comes Katie.