Chattahoochee High School issued the following announcement on May 24.
Chattahoochee High School Star Senior Kayla Wolensky has learned at a young age what many people learn late in life -- that opening up and sharing problems instead of keeping them inside can bring healing and freedom. “I had lot of low self-confidence,” she shared, “I didn’t really think I was capable of doing the things that I’ve been doing. I realize now that was due to a lot of negativity in my household.” A formerly toxic environment took an emotional toll on her life, but she eventually found the courage to share her concerns with supportive, safe friends. “It took a lot out of me to speak up and talk to people and really separate what I was being told and what was happening vs. what I knew was right. It changed my life, made me a person that I didn’t know I was capable of being.”
Throughout her personal struggles, Kayla excelled academically, maintained connections with friends, and stayed involved in activities. She played on the volleyball team where she won ‘Most Improved Player.’ She served as yearbook staff photographer and participated in BBYO, formerly B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, a youth group for Jewish teens. She loves literature especially writing. “There are no rules in writing, it’s whatever you make of it,” she noted.
Her life experiences, however, have informed her academic and career interests leading her toward psychology and possibly forensics with the goal of helping people. “Psychology explains why and how things happen. Not everything in life there’s a reason for. You don’t always get an explanation,” she said. “I think it’s really cool that with psychology, it helps you understand a lot about who people are -- just all the outside aspects that play into who a person is.” Her AP Psychology teacher, Kristen Falk, reaffirmed Kayla’s affinities saying, “I could really see Kayla majoring in psychology and working in some field to better help others.”
Counselor Tammy Jones spent a lot of time with Kayla and declared how much she has prospered. “Kayla has continued to succeed and getting great grades and serving her community, working two jobs (hostessing for a restaurants), and supporting her family.”
Kayla can now look back on what led to the present moment and concludes the biggest accomplishment is “finding who I was, not who others wanted me to be, becoming comfortable with who I was and am.” One of her closest confidantes, media center assistant Erica Greene, said, “It’s been an honor to watch her through the years. I have seen Kayla blossom into a young adult who’s ready to go out there in the world.” One way she encouraged Kayla was having a sticker on her keyboard of Dori, the angelfish from the movie “Finding Nemo,” and quoting the character (played by Ellen DeGeneres) saying, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” Kayla recalls, “One of the reasons I’m able to talk to people about this and bring awareness to things is Ms. Greene gave me the validation.”
Living with COVID-19 during senior year, she shared, was very difficult. “Everything had caution tape on it,” she said, “but it was a lot easier knowing that everybody was in the same boat, and you weren’t alone in what you were thinking. Everybody was struggling and trying to find their way. Fortunately, she had a great group of girls. “We have just made the most of it and do whatever we can to celebrate the little things.”
For fun, she loves simply spending time with friends just going on drives. “I’m just a quality time person,” she shared. “We don’t have to be doing anything, just if I’m with the right people.”
Originally from the Boston suburbs, Kayla acknowledged the culture difference but appreciates what Chattahoochee offered and the strong education system in Johns Creek. “It’s made such a difference. The environment, the teachers, how much people care. The teachers have such a strong relationship with the students. There’s just this feeling you know that they’re there for you, they want to help you and they want to point you in the right direction.”
She hopes to study abroad one day and possibly visit Israel. But for now, she will be finding her niche at Georgia Southern University working to shape her future.
Jones concluded, “Being out in the world, that’s when I see that she will be the rock star I know that she can be.”
“Having a voice is just the most important thing,” Kayla said. “I didn’t have a voice and now I do, and I want to use it. My whole life is this theme of ‘I didn’t think I could, but I did.’"
Original source can be found here.
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