Katie Couric was a cheerleader in high school, and I was a cheerleader in high school. Katie Couric is just over five feet tall, and I am just over five feet tall. Katie Couric is leaving NBC after a fifteen-year stint as co-anchor of the “Today Show,” and I … had always dreamed of taking her place.

I met Katie Couric during a family trip to New York City when I was a sophomore in high school. We went to the set of the “Today Show,” and, after filming was complete, Couric lingered on the plaza to meet her fans. I had my picture taken with her (it is currently hanging on my wall of fame), and it was then that I knew I wanted her job as co-anchor of “Today.”

Since that day, I have watched the “Today Show,” hoping to pick up tips on how to conduct impeccable interviews, how to have a winning rapport with my co-anchors and how to connect with my audience. Just as I have begun to recognize Couric’s subtle style, she is preparing to leave NBC’s “Today Show.”

Katie Couric’s decision to leave “Today” did not come as a surprise, though. She had been in negotiations with CBS for months before deciding to accept their offer as anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News.” Beginning in September, Couric will make history as the first woman to be a solo anchor on a weekly evening news program.

Couric announced her intention to leave NBC on her 15th anniversary as co-anchor of “Today.” She began her time on “Today” as their first national correspondent in 1990, and her enthusiasm, congenial nature and journalistic talent quickly catapulted her to the spot of co-anchor in April 1991. During her time on “Today,” Couric broke ground with her hard-hitting and hard-to-get interviews with the likes of Hilary Clinton, George Bush and Colin Powell, not to mention with other newsmakers, such as Tricia Meili, the Central Park Jogger, and Jennifer Wilbanks, the “Runaway Bride,” as well as leaders in the entertainment industry. Couric also spearheaded two week-long series on colon cancer, in which she underwent an on-air colonoscopy.

Couric, along with co-anchor Matt Lauer, news reader Ann Curry and weatherman Al Roker make up what NBC calls “America’s First Family.” This foursome has had a 10-year streak at the top of the ratings for morning news. Couric is now excited to move on and start what she called a “new chapter in [her] life” and face the challenge of raising the ratings of the “CBS Evening News.”

Although some critics question Couric’s ability to handle the more serious world of nightly news, I am confident that a woman whose journalistic versatility can range from covering school shootings to taking a “purse cam” to an after-Oscar party is more than capable of addressing the heavy issues plaguing today’s world.

As for the future of the “Today Show,” Meredith Vieira, veteran journalist and seasoned talk show host, has been chosen to replace Couric. Her background, as well as her instant chemistry with Lauer, looks promising for NBC and its ratings. And as for me, I’ll continue to hone my interviewing and reporting skills. After all, the “Today Show” will eventually need a replacement for Vieira.

Information for this article was compiled from msnbc.com and biography.com.