Kayla Dobies

She defines her own path to success by helping others along the way.

For Kayla Dobies, the drive to be a champion runner and high jumper is matched only by a sense of urgency to help others. Those two defining characteristics came head to head in one critical instant when a competitor suffered a seizure in the middle of a run. Seeing her fellow competitor collapse and realizing the girl had stopped breathing, Kayla immediately sprang to action, calling on her CPR training to care for the girl until the paramedics arrived. That day, Kayla gained new respect from her teammates and stepped into a leadership role on her cross country team. She also saved a life and made a new friend in the process.

Kayla is no stranger to her own health issues. She battles asthma, but hasn’t let it keep her from becoming her school’s top record-holding athlete. And she’s had trouble hearing since suffering a gymnastics accident at age three, an impairment she’s overcome by learning sign language and using hand signals to communicate with her coaches. She’s prevailed over hurdles in the classroom as well, relying on everything from Play-Doh to coloring books to master advanced math.

Succeeding despite hardships, combined with the confidence gained saving her teammate, have put Kayla on a course to help others. She started a youth camp for track to expose young students to the sport in the hopes it will have a positive impact on their lives. She aspires to become a neurosurgeon, a profession that will help countless others conquer their own health issues. Whether she’s leading on the course, in the classroom, or in the community, she uses her determination to succeed and help others succeed as well.