#21

#21 is the number Kayla was given by former assistant coach Kelly Nash and her UVM teammates when she joined the UVM Women’s Hockey team under Team Impact. She was given #21 because she now had 21 new friends. But as Team Impact comes to an end, it’s #21 on the Women’s Hockey Team that she will graduate with: a player that has a special place in her heart.

#21 grew up in an extended hockey family. It was no surprise that she started skating at age 4 and was playing hockey a year later. Like most competitive hockey players, hours were spent at the rink, and weekends were meant for traveling to play games. The entire family always traveled together. Whether it was to support her on the ice or her sister in other athletic events, you always saw the family together.

She was a selfless, kind leader. From the moment she stepped on UVM campus, she had a positive impact on students, teammates, and the community. Her involvement with the Student Athletic Advisory Council, volunteering yearly for Kayla’s Directory Adaptive Running Program, and volunteering her time to local non-profits shows her selflessness and leadership. Her kindness is evidenced by her hanging in the rink after a game and talking to young hockey players, bringing Kayla trick-or-treating every year regardless of the weather, and skating with kids from the community.

As her older sister states, “#21 has always used her love for hockey to impact her community, teammates, and family. She has been the type of person to play for the name on the front of her jersey rather than the back.”  #21 has always been an amazing and supportive teammate. But as Kayla states, “it’s the kindness and bravery she exhibits off the ice that has had the most impact on her.”