Catherine was born and raised in southeastern South Dakota. Because of her family influence, she grew up surrounded by the outdoors and quickly fell in love with it. From an early age, Catherine had a strong desire to be apart of all the hunting and fishing trips she could. Both Catherine’s mom and dad had a big influence in her love for the outdoors and they made it a priority to give all of their children chances to spend time in nature. Catherine’s family has always been a huge part of her life, and she has come to cherish every moment she gets with them.

Of Catherine’s four siblings, two of them were diagnosed with a rare hereditary mutation called SAMD-9. Growing up, her childhood looked much different than the average kid because of this. In 2011, her younger sister Rebekah was also diagnosed with Pre-Leukemia, and began her fight against it. Rebekah’s famous words were “I am Brave.” After several years of fighting the cancer, she went home to God in 2016.

Later in 2021, Catherine’s dad (Tony) died by suicide after a battle with bi-polar. Catherine and her dad were very close, largely because of the numerous hunting and fishing trips they took throughout the years together. Catherine’s earliest memories are of her dad waking her in the early morning, dressing her in camo and orange, and dragging her to the truck. Without fail, she would fall asleep as he drove and hummed along to the radio. As a kid, Catherine always thought he was just teaching her the ways of hunting, but in reality, he was teaching her the secrets to life. Tony taught her responsibility, patience, dedication, mentorship, and respect. He taught her that every decision had a consequence, good or bad. Tony also showed Catherine that nature is both extremely beautiful and cruel, and she found peace in the middle of it all.

Catherine now has a passion for sharing the joys of hunting and fishing with kids and friends, while documenting it through her photography. She is currently a college student at the University of South Dakota and majoring in Marketing. Catherine hopes to use her degree to grow the hunting industry and share her passions with others.