Grace and Grit: Eighth Grader Mollie Smith Balances School, Sports, Theater — and Type 1 Diabetes

By Klein ISD Jessica Williams

June 2^nd, 2025

Managing homework, extracurricular activities, and friendships is a full-time job for most eighth graders. For Ulrich Intermediate’s Mollie Smith, it also includes managing a life-threatening medical condition, all while doing it with grace and grit.

At just 14, Mollie is a standout student, volleyball player, and theater officer at Ulrich. Her days are packed with classes, volleyball, rehearsals, and leadership duties as President of the Thespian Society. But behind Mollie’s achievements is a story of strength and a diagnosis that changed everything.

In sixth grade, after weeks of fatigue, headaches, and extreme thirst, Mollie collapsed at home.

“It was my dad’s birthday,” Mollie said. “I was found unconscious in the bathroom, cold to the touch.”

She was rushed to the hospital and placed in a medically induced coma; the diagnosis was type 1 diabetes. Doctors told her family she was just one step away from a fatal outcome, and her recovery was long and difficult.

“I had to relearn how to walk and build my muscles back up after being in the hospital for so long,” Mollie said.

Yet just months later, she returned to school and eventually to sports and theater, but now with the added responsibility of managing insulin, monitoring her blood sugar, and living with medical equipment attached to her body. Still, she sees her condition not as a setback but as a “sidekick.”

Grace and Grit: Eighth Grader Mollie Smith Balances School, Sports, Theater — and Type 1 Diabetes

That mindset carries over to her leadership roles. Since third grade, she has been a motivating force in theater, earning lead roles and guiding fellow performers. She believes leadership is about listening.

“As a leader, you don’t just tell people what to do; you make room for everyone’s voice,” Mollie said.

She brings that same compassion to the volleyball court. In one game, when a teammate fell into empty chairs, she immediately rushed to help.

She credits a strong support system: her creative, community-minded mom, her engineer dad, and her older sister, who offers advice and inspiration. They’ve all helped shape her goals, which now include a future in medicine.

Her hospital experience sparked her dream of becoming a doctor.

“I know what it feels like to be scared in that hospital bed,” Mollie said. “I want to be someone who helps people through that.”

Despite the daily challenges of diabetes, she continues to thrive academically, artistically, and athletically. Whether leading her theater troupe, volunteering at local farms with her mom, or saving a volleyball from hitting the floor, she proves that adversity doesn’t define her.

“I’m not just the girl with diabetes,” she said. “I’m everything else, too.”

Mollie, thank you for all you do for your fellow students and school community at Ulrich! You are a true inspiration to all, and your #KleinFamily can’t wait to see what you do next!