Player of the Week – Kayla Paredes
As Kayla Paredes, 24, makes her way to 524 West 59th street, her hopes of attaining a Bachelor’s degree in forensic science from John Jay College becomes more surreal.
Not only is Kayla a soon to be college graduate she is a mother of one, a customer worker representative and last but not least a Wallball competitor.
Kayla’s unmatched motivation to succeed in all aspects of life has earned her Wallball’s Player of the Week award.
Wallball became a part of Kayla’s life when she was 17 years old; her brother Luis Gonzalez had no choice but to bring his sister to the courts to watch him play. “After years of watching I decided to learn how to play, and haven’t dropped the ball since.”
Throughout the years Kayla has not only found the courts as a getaway from her busy life, she has found a home. The wallball community has become more than competitors to Kayla, they’ve become family. “It’s extremely difficult to find the time to balance all of them. But I have an amazing group of family and friends who support me in every way imaginable.”
With all that is circulating throughout Kayla’s life wallball has taught her lessons on and off the court, “wallball has taught me how to be a team player, not only on the court but in life, and also to be patient.”
Kayla grew up in a household with her brother Luis and mother Felicita Gonzalez. It’s her mother’s sacrifices that have inspired Kayla to become a strong woman and mother for her daughter Angelina. It is her ambition to go into the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a profiler or to find her way to social work to help children.
Kayla has a message for those who are parents who aspire to go to attend college, work and find the time to continue their passion:
“Go for it. You will struggle, but there is a huge reward at the end of it all. Not only have you proven to yourself that you can accomplish anything, but you set an example for your children. Just have to stay focus and keep your eyes on the prize.”
Kayla will be graduating in May 2017.