2025 Students of Distinction
Kitana Garnet King: Strength forged in loss and resilience
Gig Harbor Now is posting profiles featuring the Students of Distinction being honored by the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation. Peers, teachers or parents nominate students, who must be a graduating senior at a Peninsula School District school. A panel of community leaders selects students to be honored in one of seven categories: academics; athletics; career and technical excellence; community service; music, arts and drama; overcoming adversity; and science and technology.
These students will be celebrated during a banquet from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at Ocean5, 5268 Point Fosdick Dr.
School: Peninsula High School
Category: Overcoming Adversity
When Kitana Garnet King reflects on her high school journey, she doesn’t center her story around the difficulty of moving from the Philippines to Washington State, or the cultural shift of leaving half of her family behind — although those experiences certainly shaped her. Instead, she chooses to focus on the storms she weathered more recently: a devastating knee injury, unexpected loss, and the emotional aftermath that tested her strength and resolve.
In her sophomore year, Kitana’s life shifted abruptly when a torn patellar tendon — an injury sustained while playing basketball — forced her into surgery. Recovery was grueling. She was bedridden and heavily medicated, unable to attend classes or keep up with coursework. The physical toll was matched by the emotional weight of watching her academic goals slip out of reach. “Missing school meant missing critical lessons, assignments, and assessments,” she recalls. “Eventually, I had to accept that my grades weren’t going to meet my expectations.”
Kitana Garnet King
Yet, Kitana was determined to bounce back. She entered junior year hopeful and ready to rebuild — only to be hit harder than she ever could have imagined. In the span of just weeks, she lost four family members, including her beloved great aunt. The emotional devastation pulled her into a dark place, and the grief took precedence over everything, including school. She traveled to the Philippines twice to be with family, missing over a month of instruction. Despite her efforts to stay connected to school online, she struggled to concentrate through the weight of her sorrow.
But Kitana refused to let those losses define her. “Her death shouldn’t be the reason I give up,” she says of her great aunt. “It should be the reason I keep going.”
Through adversity, Kitana discovered just how much she was capable of. Her resilience and determination carried her forward, even when it felt impossible. She rebuilt her GPA, earned PHS Pride recognition for most improved academic performance, and found new ways to care for her mental health. She earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy in Tagalog, was honored as Student of the Quarter, and received multiple varsity letters in girls basketball.
She also learned to find value in the small, often overlooked parts of life: pain-free movement, simple routines, the people we love. “You can’t control what happens to you,” she says. “But you can control how you react to it.”
Kitana’s story is not just one of recovery — it’s one of transformation. In the face of physical setbacks, profound grief, and academic disruption, she emerged more self-aware, more determined, and more grounded in who she is. Her courage to keep going, to turn grief into motivation, is what truly sets her apart.