​​Editor’s Note: The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Question #1: What’s something most people at Potomac don’t know about you?

Ms. Gagne: I grew up in a small Maine town that is a popular summer town. The year round population is so small that it did not have a middle school or high school so I drove an hour to school! 

Question #2: What was your favorite subject in school? 

Ms. Gagne: Ok, this is really lame. I don’t think I had a favorite subject. I just really liked school. In high school, I actually liked math and science more than I liked history, which is interesting.

Question #3: Do you have any hidden talents? 

Ms. Gagne: Absolutely not. I have no talents. I always wish I had something, but yeah, I have absolutely no talents. 

** Ms. Gagne later amended the answer to question 3: her hidden talent is driving a bus, especially on the way to cross country meets!

Question #4: What’s one thing on your bucket list? 

Ms. Gagne: I would really like to go to New Zealand or Japan.

Question #5: Are you a cat person or a dog person? 

Ms. Gagne: Oh, dog. 110%. My son right now actually really wants to get a cat. And we have two dogs. I’m using the dogs as a reason not to get the cat. 

Question #6: What’s your biggest irrational fear?

Ms. Gagne: Balloons. I really don’t like balloons. I think I’m just gonna leave it there.

Question #7: If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?

Ms. Gagne: That’s a great question. There’s not a particular person but I think I would love to be an ambassador for a day. I just would love to know what their day-to-day looks like and what they actually do. I would like to be an ambassador anywhere — I don’t think there’s one country I want to be an ambassador for.

Question #8: What’s one thing that you can’t live without?

Ms. Gagne: My running shoes! I know that’s not very original. But, if I’m running I am at my happiest.

Question #9: What would you say if everyone in the world would listen? 

Ms. Gagne: Be kind. I know it’s so simple, but I think it’s something that we constantly need to be reminded of.

Question #10: What’s your favorite place at Potomac?

Ms. Gagne: I think the spot I like the most actually is the hill that we do hill repeats on in Cross Country. I know that you guys probably don’t feel that way as the runners, but I love that we have a campus where there are these little nooks where you forget for a moment that you’re in a suburban sprawl.

Question #11: What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Ms. Gagne: Biggest one? I think there’s two. One is I hate when people leave trash behind. And then, I don’t know if it’s a pet peeve, but one thing for me is that I don’t like being early to things. I like to be on time. It’s weird but I really have to be on time. I hate being too early. It’s a very strange thing. 

Question #12: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Ms. Gagne: Anywhere in the world? I think I’m going to have to do more traveling to answer that question. There’s so many places that I don’t know well enough to make a choice. I think this is a really simple answer, but I feel very strongly attached to my New England roots. And so I would love to be back in New England.

Question #13: What’s your favorite book?

Ms. Gagne: Great question. I think it depends. There are the academic books, and there are the non-academic books. Two books I’ve really I’ve read recently that I’m really into – I always joke around that I’m the market for them- is that there’s a lot of female runners who recently published books and they’re my era and so Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon winner wrote a book recently and then also Kara Goucher also wrote a book about her time as a professional athlete. And those two books were, I thought, really inspiring. So those are my non-academic choices.

Question #14: If you could teach a subject other than history and GPAC, what would it be?

Ms. Gagne: I think this goes back to the fact I don’t have any other talents. If I could pick anything and I would know how to teach it. Like a complete dream, I would love to teach art, I think. Yeah, drawing and painting I think it’d be. 

Question #15: What do you eat for breakfast? 

Ms. Gagne: Coffee, coffee, and peanut butter toast when I’m on the run.

Question #16: What is something that you do that you wish you could do more of?

Ms. Gagne: I wish I could get outside more. I wish I could go hiking. And just yeah, be outside. Enjoy nature more.

Question #17: If you had to give advice to your younger self what would it be?

Ms. Gagne: There’s so much. Relax, sleep and learn to say no.

That’s 17 questions. Thank you!