Kansas graduated from Rice Lake High School in 2005 and was a three sport athlete, competing in cross-country, gymnastics and track. She was a multiple letter-winner, as an athlete and a student manager. As a sophomore in cross country, Kansas was a Big Rivers Conference champion, regional and sectional champion and finished 47th at State in Division 1. She posted her best time of 15:35 for a 4 kilometer race, which is one of the top times at RLHS. In gymnastics, Kansas helped her team qualify for the state meet both her freshman and sophomore years. In track, she ran the 300 hurdles, 400, 1600, 3200, 800 and 4x8 relay team, which set a school record at the time. She also pole-vaulted 8’ 6”, triple jumped 34’ 3”, threw the shot put and qualified for sectionals in the 3200 meter her freshman year. On June 14, 2004, following her junior year, Kansas was in a life-changing car accident. That accident left her in a coma for 28 days and resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. Her determination and faith drove her to work with physical, occupational and speech therapists, along with her family, to re-learn how to speak, walk, write and function with daily tasks. As a senior, Kansas’ role was mainly inspiration and support for her teammates. Kansas re-learned how to run in the spring of 2007, 3 years after her accident. In 2010, Kansas graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a degree in Spanish and finished several road races during and since that time. In spite of her brain injury and altered gait, Kansas finished two half-marathons and in 2011 finished Grandma’s Full Marathon in 6:48.55, just under the 7-hour time limit. Today, Kansas enjoys teaching and interpreting Spanish and is currently employed as a Spanish interpreter at various locations in the Twin Cities locations. She currently lives in Arden Hills, MN.