NATCHEZ — Caitlyn Gamberi is busy.

A senior at Adams County Christian School, Gamberi has a job, is a member of four clubs and plays three sports — all while preparing for college and taking dual enrollment classes.

“I don’t have much time outside of school,” Gamberi said.

Gamberi said between early dual enrollment classes at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, working at her father’s store and afternoon practices for basketball, cheerleading and tennis, she often does not get home before 7 p.m.

All that work, however, is worth it, Gamberi said, if it helps her succeed after high school.

But part of her drive, she said, comes from her competitive nature.

“I always try to be the best,” Gamberi said. “I want to beat everybody. Best grades. Be the best in sports. I’m just competitive. Everything is a competition.”

Her dual enrollment classes are challenging, she said, but she hopes her college algebra course will raise her ACT score and her English class will help her write essays for college.

The volunteer hours and leadership skills she gains through Beta Club, Key Club, the National Honor Society and student council help her stand out.

She has an avid interest in how the human body works, she said, which makes her particularly enjoy her anatomy and physiology class with Nikki Freeman.

“She gives a ton of work, but she repeats everything so you really learn,” Gamberi said. “We get a lot out of her class.”

Every hardship or challenge, she said, prepares her for the future.

Gamberi said she hopes to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where she will take classes to become a physical therapist.

“I hurt my knee and my hip, so I went to physical therapy,” Gamberi said.  “I liked it. They had fun. They don’t deal with the same age groups all the time. It’s different every day.”

Gamberi said being a physical therapist satisfies both her interest in human anatomy and her love of meeting new people.

Though Gamberi said she will miss sports and being close to her family here in Natchez, she is ready to go to college.

Physical therapist degrees often take three to four years of additional school following an undergraduate career.

“It’s going to be a lot harder, with more people in the classes,” she said. “I think my dual enrollment classes are helping a lot.”

Becoming a physical therapist is going to be a lot of work, Gamberi said, but she is used to that.

Gamberi is the daughter of Chad and Cameron Gamberi.