Caitlin Barlow stands in front of a mural she created for a Senn stairway. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

The fact that Senn High School grad Caitlin Barlow went to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s recent lecture at the University of Chicago, not for a class project, but because it sounded interesting, speaks volumes about her.

The U of C campus will soon be familiar territory for Barlow as she will be attending the school in the fall on a Senn scholarship. She will study political science, with thoughts of going into law.

Teachers at Senn, located in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, have other thoughts about Barlow studying political science.

“One teacher said she’s going to be president,” said Dolores Green, a counselor at Senn.

Barlow isn’t sure yet that politics is in her future, but knows that helping people definitely is.

“Whatever I go into, I want to be able to make a difference. I know that’s what everyone says, but it’s something I want to do,” she said.

Barlow seems well suited for law — or politics — as she doggedly stayed on Senn leadership to find a debate team coach after she and other team members lost a season of competition because their former coach left.

Without a coach for the team her sophomore year, Barlow kept in the school principal’s ear about the vacancy.

“I was kind of bugging her, trying to get a new teacher (to do it),” Barlow said. “It is really time intensive. There are tournaments all day Saturday, practices during the week, a lot of training because policy debate, in particular, is a lot of curriculum.”

Senn High School graduate Caitlin Barlow (left) stands in the office of the Chicago school with school counselor Dolores Green. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

Barlow was happy that fellow senior and debate team member Nick Cecce was elected Student Government president so that when he did the morning announcement, some love gets shown to the debate team.

“It’s something that’s been kind of annoying,” Barlow said about the debate team’s lack of attention compared to school sports teams. “… We always kind of joke around in the club like ‘Debate’s a sport. It’s academic.’”

Barlow, who also trains in mixed martial arts and is a black belt in karate, readily admits that there were times she would procrastinate on school homework to do debate prep work.

“I think just trying to schedule in free time and trying to manage my time better has been a challenge,” Barlow said, “but I think that over the years I’ve kind of become better at being able to understand myself and knowing my capabilities.”

She leaves Senn No. 3 in the Class of 2019 with a 3.95 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) and artwork on the wall. Barlow created a mural on a wall in one of the high school’s staircases.

Being in the Senn art program, she considered moving to the International Baccalaureate diploma route at one point.

“I thought that would help me more, but after talking with my art teachers, I realized that staying in the art program is still being involved in the academic rigorous courses,” Barlow said. “I am still really invested in art.”

She sees art remaining a big part of her life regardless of her career path.

“I feel art can be integrated into so many things,” Barlow said. “Even with law, (there can be) integrating art to help communicate with people and creating connections in communities themselves.”

Senn counselor Green said Barlow is someone she will remember even though the student was not in her office much.

“She never complained. She was not one to make excuses for anything,” Green said. “… This kid is going to go far.”

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com