67 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com When Kaitlyn Aquino looks back on her years as an Oceanside Collegiate Academy cheerleader, she remembers more than the routines, competitions and time spent on the sidelines. She recalls the people, the confidence she found in herself and the sense of belonging that followed her long after graduation. Aquino attended OCA from 2019 to 2023, serving as cheer captain her senior year. While she credits much of her technical development to her years at Pack Athletics, she said Oceanside helped shape her in other ways, particularly when it came to leadership and learning to be comfortable in her own skin. That leadership became something she carried with her. At Texas’ Navarro College, she found herself helping younger and newer athletes, and she continues to draw on those same instincts at Weber State University in Utah. “It’s helped me open up and relate with younger athletes,” she said. But perhaps the most lasting part of her OCA experience was less tangible. Aquino remembers attending basketball, volleyball and baseball games and forming friendships with athletes outside of cheer. Those moments, she said, became some of her favorite memories from high school. Today, Aquino’s cheer career has taken her from Charleston to Navarro and Weber State, and even to the U.S. national team. She is one of several former local high school cheerleaders who have continued into collegiate and elite programs, including Ole Miss, Florida, Navarro, Team USA and others. For Aquino, the most important thing she carried forward was not a title or accomplishment, but the experience of growing up alongside other girls. “Really, the girlhood that I had with the team definitely means the most to me.” What She Took With Her our sports IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN… Make sure your HVAC System performs efficiently all year long with our professional HVAC Tune-Up. Contact Us, Today! Our experienced team can help. austinairsc.com | 843-813-5035 2025 ®
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