Kayla Gonzalez, an inspiration to all, was a former ILS student and came back to ILS to share her positivity and kindness on campus. She has made an impact on a lot of students here at ILS constantly encouraging them to do their best and to keep their heads up. She was born and raised in Miami, FL.

“I loved being a part of the cheerleading team, doing ETC retreats made me meet my lifelong friends” Ms. Gonzalez reminisced

In 2011, Kayla graduated as part of the legacy class, the only class in La Salle history to win color wars four years in a row. She recounted an old La Salle tradition called “beanie week,” where seniors would tease freshmen for a week. During her junior year, the school arranged a trip to Busch Gardens.

Today, Ms. Gonzalez is a senior English teacher, preparing her students for college. I asked her about how La Salle prepared her for college as well

“It made me realize that the help here I could find anywhere else especially if they were from Miami…Kindness will always be your biggest ally. How you speak to people impacts what you learn,” she replied. 

She is preparing her students by teaching them that kindness is key.

She emphasized the importance of kindness in her teachings, showcasing how it can take you a long way. Ms. Gonzalez also spoke about the research paper requirement for graduation, which has been a staple since her time at the school.

“I think it’s good because it matters to understand that you have something on the line that determines something important in your life and it is an example of the reality of life because there are going to be some things you don’t want to do and there’s going to be pressure on you because you have to get it done.”

This requirement, she believes, helps students balance what they must do with what they want to do; thus, instilling a sense of responsibility. 

Ms. Gonzalez wants her students to know, 

“That they are capable of anything they put their mind to.” 

She understands how hard things can be, but you’re going to have to do it even if you don’t think you can. While interviewing her, her students were assigned an escape room as she explained:

“You’re going to have escape rooms in life that you’re going to have to escape from even if it’s difficult,” meaning the lesson she was teaching was a metaphor for life.