Katie Chale seemed full of potential. Described by those who knew her as bright, confident and a leader who was mature beyond her years, many say the 22-year-old who recently graduated from college had everything going for her.

But that potential was cut short last week, when Katie was tragically killed in an accident involving a bus on Vashon Highway.

“She was ready to take on the world,” said Bruce Haulman, an islander who knew Katie through the local sailing program. “That’s why this is such a tragedy.”

Still, Katie’s friends and loved ones speak of the impression the fiercely altruistic young woman made not only on Vashon, but at the University of Portland, where she attended college, and during her travels around the world.

“She was determined to make an impact in everything she did,” said islander Donna Nespor, “and made a lifelong impact on all of us who had the good fortune to know her.”

Kaitlyn Marie Chale, known to most as Katie, was born on April 1, 1992, to Jeff and Dolly Chale. Her family, including her older brother Tyler Dewey, moved from West Seattle to Vashon Island when Katie was young.

As a girl, Katie had “that little red-hair, freckle-faced spirit,” said islander Bettie Edwards. Edwards always thought Katie stood out, she said, and hoped to one day hire her at her shop, The Little House. Katie did eventually work at The Little House, and Edwards was struck by Katie’s good attitude, saying she can’t remember her ever saying anything negative.

“She was a 20 on a scale of 10,” Edwards said. “They don’t come any better quality.”

In school, Katie quickly became known as a sharp student who was a leader both in the classroom and on the soccer field.

In elementary school she joined the Vashon Island Soccer Club and was part of a small group of girls who went on to play club and school soccer through their senior years of high school. Former coaches and teammates describe Katie as a talented player who also had a unique way of motivating those around her, even during a losing game.

“She always made everyone give more than they were asked to,” said Paul Beytebiere, who coached Katie in middle school and at Vashon High School. She became a team captain and was named to the all-league team both her junior and senior years.

“I’ll get lazy and give up, but Katie was not like that at all,” said Kaija Reinelt, a friend who played soccer with Katie. “She had such an incredible energy and was super motivating.”

A lover of the outdoors, Katie also took up sailing at a young age and participated in the Quartermaster Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing Program, first as a student and later as a sailing instructor. Haulman, who directed the program during that time, called Katie extremely focused on the water.

“Anytime in the sailing program when winds are up and boats are flipping over and things are chaotic, you need people who are strong, can make quick decisions and know what needs to be done,” Haulman said. “Katie was incredible with that.”

In high school, she maintained strong grades in honors classes, was a counselor at Camp Waskowitz outdoor school and added rowing to her list of activities.

“Katie stood out because she was very confident and very persistent, so curious and very capable,” said Linda Mather, Katie’s counselor at VHS, where she was part of the class of 2010. “That combination of attributes and traits made it so clear to those that worked with her that she could do whatever she put her mind to.”

One thing Katie put her mind to was learning Spanish, and in high school she participated in a volunteer trip to an orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico, as well as an exchange program to Paraguay though the organization Amigos de las Americas, which sends high schoolers on service trips throughout Central and South America.

In May, after graduating from the University of Portland with degrees in Spanish and biology, Katie, fluent in Spanish, spent the summer working again for Amigos de las Americas. This time she was based in Peru and traveled to different towns as a supervisor of younger volunteers.

She had been back on Vashon for just days when the unthinkable happened.

Katie was going to meet a friend for coffee and was driving north on Vashon Highway near Shawnee Road at about 11 a.m. last Wednesday when a tour bus apparently crossed the center line and hit her car. The bus was one of three Horizon Coach Line buses carrying children from a private school in Seattle to Camp Sealth for a field trip.

Katie was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center but died in the hospital the following day. The driver of the bus was also transported to the hospital with less serious injuries, and children on the bus suffered only minor injuries.

Officials on the scene Wednesday said they believed the man driving the bus had a medical issue when he apparently lost control of the bus. However, DB Gates, a spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff’s Office, said investigators are currently trying to piece together the accident and it is too soon for her to comment on what happened. An investigation could take weeks or months.

Chris O’Connor, chief operating officer of Horizon Coach Lines, said the bus driver involved was a seasoned driver, but he was also unable to comment on the accident.

“We express our deepest condolences to her and her family,” O’Connor said. “We are doing everything we can to support the investigation.”

As the investigation continues, Katie’s death has sent shock waves through the Vashon community as well as the University of Portland, where she attended college the past four years and graduated with honors in May.

During college, Katie studied abroad in Spain, worked for the college’s study abroad department and played intramural football as well as club soccer.

Katy Danforth, a friend at UP who studied with her for a semester in Granada, Spain, said in a written statement that Katie was “fearless but responsible, mature but always knew how to have fun.”

Katie had a clear love for her family, Danforth said, and was unwavering in her care for others.

“Even when I could tell she was stressed with school (anything below an A was not acceptable for Katie’s standards), she would stop on her way to class to chat with me and ask how I was doing.”

On her college soccer team, Katie was again a captain and again became known as someone who looked out for her teammates, according to Jessie Robinson, another friend who played soccer with her. Some women on the team began to jokingly call her Mom.

“She always had Band-Aids when someone got hurt,” Robinson recalled. “She was this thoughtful, amazing person who was always caring for other people around her. She was definitely someone I looked up to and someone I aspire to be just by how happy she was all the time.”

As a biology major, Katie was interested in medicine and at one point considered going on to medical school, according to Caroline Gleb, a friend from Vashon who remained close to her. During college, she said, Katie volunteered one summer at a hospital in Tacoma and observed in the emergency room there.

“She used to tell me she thought it was so cool and she was so excited to do that and help people,” Gleb said.

“She had a big heart and was passionate about whatever she did,” she added. “She wanted to help anyone she could, anytime she could.”

It was also during college that Katie met and began dating Chris Roberts, a Snohomish native who was a year ahead of her at UP. They were together for about two years, and this summer Roberts went with Katie’s parents to visit her in South America.

“Katie was a fantastic girl that gave so much more of herself than she ever expected in return,” Roberts said in a written statement to The Beachcomber. “She spent the last three months of her life making others’ lives better. She was absolutely adored by everyone she knew, especially me.”

After returning from South America last week, Katie was still deciding her next steps, Roberts said, and was considering graduate school. She wasted no time in seeing family and friends on the island, including visiting her grandmother at Vashon Community Care. Another stop she made was at The Little House to see her former boss.

Edwards said she thought Katie looked better than ever last week and almost had a glow about her. “I said to her, ‘You are absolutely radiating.’”

A service for Katie Chale has not yet been announced. Watch The Beachcomber for more information.