Kate Godfrey on Balancing The Double Pan Scale
By Willow Bullington
A double-pan balance is a scale that has 2 pans that are balanced against each other. The scale functions like a see-saw, with each of the 2 pans attached to a beam over a centered pivot point. The two pans are codependent on one another, the pans move in conjunction to one another, originally used to balance coins. We have seen the dynamic between the two pans evolve with our culture. Work-Life Balance being one of the most striking examples, arguably most working adults can attest to the struggle of “leaving their work at work”. With the growth of the internet, and emergence of social media in the workplace we can see that now more than ever we need to balance this scale. And because Our Era caters to mostly, well, Our era many of us do not work full time jobs. For most of us our work life balance is a school-life balance. And speaking for myself and likely many others, as social media grows, especially post-pandemic, balancing this scale can feel comparable to summiting everest. It is almost inconceivable to conceptualize having to balance high-school, schoolwork, spending time with your family, spending time with friends,AP Classes, Red Carpet Appearances, interviews, thousands of fans, late night appearances, and filming a full season of a television show.
But that is exactly what Kate Godfrey does, and she does it with a commendable amount of maturity, and humility.
From a young age Godfrey felt a calling to perform, first tasting the spotlight playing a fork in Beauty and The Beast at her local theater. And from the moment she stepped off that stage she felt a calling to perform. Godfreys innate ability to entertain coupled with her diligence on and off camera makes her a name to know. Godfrey states that still she “gets that thrill stepping onto set and while it is different then performing in a theater hall there is nothing like performing” and that feeling is what pushes her along to continue to strive for more. While her roots may be planted in the mezzanine, Godfrey garnered much attention for her role on nickelodeon's All That. The show is a reboot of the 90’s kids sketch comedy show, the show was deemed Americas #1 Kids Sketch Comedy, setting the expectations for the reboot through the roof. “ I definitely was nervous to fill their [previous cast’] shoes'' Godfrey describes “but once the show aired the pressure subsided”. The show premiered in early 2019, and production was brought to a halt due to the pandemic.
I am sure many of you remember March of 2020 when it felt like everything stopped. We have all seen the states, the toll this pandemic has taken on our culture. However Godfrey recalls that time stating “first it was a week, then two week, then a month”, that as the uncertainty grew so did Godfreys desire to get back on set, and continue performing. Godfrey’s ability to shift her outlook and persevere despite the circumstances speaks to her maturity despite her age.
One of Godfreys most striking qualities is her composure, while only spending an hour on zoom with her. The 18 year old explained she had taken an AP exam that day. Which is a daunting task for any full time student, I cannot imagine walking the tightrope of full time academics and rising into the spotlight. Godfrey explained to me that “ I was fortunate enough to have a relatively normal high school experience”, corroborating that while she would miss class every once in a while she got to experience a lot of traditional high school. Godfrey described that just that just before she sat down for the interview she was finishing her AP psych exam, and the weekend before she had gone to prom.
Yet, Godfrey describes that this road less traveled she has chosen to take is not without obstacles, she says it can often be hard to resist the temptation to “engage with negative comments”. It is called the world wide web for a reason, millions of people can give unsolicited input, advice, and opinions on complete strangers content oftentimes seems insurmountable. In this age where the internet is only growing, this task is often a teenager's Everest, subtracting the spotlight from the equation almost every teenager can empathize with Godfrey. Constant pressure to perform, academically, in sports, in theater, in whatever your prerogative may be, can make or break many teens mental health, however Godfrey’s wise words and optimism serve as a light in the often dark world of social media.
Photos by Mike Anderson
Styled by Ariana Velazquez
Makeup by Courtney Hart
Hair by Daniel Paller
Produced by Lucy Ivey
