Kim Higginbotham (Zadrozny), Seton Catholic High School Class of 2002

Background:

“I am an almost native of Arizona, moving here from Iowa at 5 months old.  I have one older brother and one older sister who are 8 and 10 years older than me respectively.  At the start of high school, with the support of my parents, I decided to enroll in Seton Catholic High School.  Throughout my adolescent years athletics always played a large role in my life.  I tried pretty much every sport under the sun until focusing on soccer and softball.  I am blessed with extremely loving and supportive parents who allowed me to not only participate in sports, but also understood and fueled my passion for athletics.

Upon entering high school, sports continued to be a huge part of my life.  However, they were not my only priority.  Rather, growing up I realized that I needed five things in my life to stay in balance– family, friends, school, athletics, and faith.  When moving to Chandler my freshman year, I made the switch to St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church were I was an active member of the youth group, even serving as Rector of the Kairos Retreat my Senior year.

After high school I received an athletic scholarship to Arizona State University where I was a member of the softball team for four seasons.  While at ASU, I obtained my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education and was successfully able to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher.  I served as social studies teacher, head softball coach and assistant swim coach at Chandler High School for nine years before moving into Educational Administration, with my newly obtained Master’s in Administration, also from ASU.

In 2016 I had the privilege of being a part of a team that opened Hope College and Career Readiness Academy.  Hope was opened to help engage youth who had dropped out on the educational system by granting them real world experience through internships while obtaining their high school diploma.  I was honored to serve as the Inaugural Principal of HCCRA.  Although my time at HCCRA was extremely rewarding, I was missing athletics in my life.  When the Athletic Director position at Bourgade Catholic High School opened, I just knew it was where I was meant to be.

From day one on Bourgade’s Campus, I felt at home.  My life was back in balance.  At BCHS I am able to again be in balance by filling my life with family, friends, school, athletics, and faith.  For my first two years at BCHS I served as the Athletic Director and this year am so very excited to be serving as the Assistant Principal of Student Affairs while still serving as the AD.”

What impact did Catholic schools have on you?

“Attending Seton Catholic allowed me to maintain balance and mature in a loving environment.  My high school experience allowed me to learn about myself and truly build a foundation in my faith.  My many experiences in high school allowed me to grow in virtue and understand that everything in life has value and purpose.  Today I understand that each and every person is on their own journey in faith.  I think back to my time at Seton and fondly remember all of the amazing teachers and coaches.  I was truly surrounded by adults who made me feel loved and supported and am so incredibly grateful that I have the same opportunity to be that caring adult in the lives of the students at Bourgade Catholic High School.”

Accomplishments:

“My biggest accomplishment thus far has been and will continue to be my family.  My husband, NIck and I have been married for 12 years and have two amazing daughters, Ivy age 6 and Mackenzy age 5.

While attending Seton Catholic High School I was a two sport All-American and was fortunate to win multiple State Championships in both soccer and softball.

While at ASU I was named a PAC-10 Academic All-American and played in the 2006 College World Series

In 2012 I was inducted into the City of Chandler Athletic Hall of Fame and in 2017 I was honored with induction into the Hall of Fame at Seton Catholic.”

Future plans:

“I am currently working on my Doctorate in Athletic Administration and have the dream of one day serving as a Senior Women’s Athletic Director at a University.”