Hey! I’m Kyla!
My college journey is still in the making. I may still be a high school student, but forwarding my education is a huge necessity for my future. I have a passion for Illustration and Performing arts, and one of my favorite activities is sharing my passion with others. After I graduate, I will be attending Whatcom Community College to prepare towards a strut to a University. As a first-gen, I love to help other first-gen high school students with College preparations. I can’t wait to bring my passions into the future with me.
I have had the joy of working with Kyla over the last year and to say I’m impressed and honored to walk alongside and support her in pursuing her beautiful dreams is an understatement. When Kyla walked into our first Storm Riders Club as a Junior, wanting to learn more about college and career access, we had no idea that one of the most incredible scholars and artists of our time had just come into the room. Kyla brings with her a thoughtful presence, a smile that lights up a room, and a laugh that I wish I could bottle. It was within the first activity of resume building that our jaws collectively fell to the floor. She sings, is an accomplished painter, illustrator, and graphic designer; a true renaissance artist, on top of being a determined leader, dedicated student, passionate advocate, and friend to her fellow students at her Squlaicum High School and our community. The more Kyla revealed about herself, the more in awe we became. She took the initiative, being the first in her family to go to college, to seek out the resources and people in our community to help guide her through the various steps of post-secondary planning, and we feel lucky to be on her team of supporters.
Over the past year, I have had a front-row seat watching Kyla develop as a student and future professional. As the pandemic hit, she remained adaptive, creative, and has pursued her education virtually, while seeking opportunities outside of school to volunteer her time and learn even more. In spite of everything being so challenging, I have observed Kyla navigate new systems, make weekly goals, complete scholarship applications, and has remained flexible in her post-secondary planning as circumstances have drastically changed thanks to COVID.
Kyla’s generosity and love for helping others is something I cherish, and a quality I see creating a ripple of impact for those who come to know her. She is the entire package; a talented, smart, force who will certainly make the world a better place.
When I asked Kyla to share about what being a part of FuturesNW has meant to her she said the following:
Getting support from FuturesNW, for a first-gen student like myself, has really helped me with things that I didn’t know how to do. Such as Financial Aid, Scholarships, College Applications and so much more. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without this organization.
Kyla is now a part of our team, working as a peer mentor, content collaborator, and workshop facilitator, and we couldn’t feel more fortunate to have her with us. If you would like to commission Kyla to create a logo, paint your favorite pet, do a graphite pencil sketch of a loved one, etc, we know you will be thrilled with the outcome. Here are a few examples of logos she has designed for us along with a few portraits.
Welcome to the team Kyla! We can’t wait to watch you grow and achieve your goals in the coming year.