Four seniors share their current goals and aspirations. In May, we will revisit the same students to see if those have changed. This is the story of Alayna Brown.

Photo by Gavin Chen, Staff Writer

Cameron Chappell, Staff Writer

Senior Alayna Brown, known for spreading her efficacious energy through the hallways of Northview High School, strives for excellence in her work.

During her freshman year, Brown was able to convince her classmates with her personable approach to conversations, leading to her nomination for Homecoming Court. She continues to be an active member of Northview High School through the basketball team, Webtoons Club, and Kaleidoscope Club. From first playing basketball in kindergarten, Brown developed a love for the game quickly and knew she wanted to spend her free time playing.

“She’s someone who is always there for you 24/7. When others on the team may be down, she always keeps a positive attitude no matter how bad things may be,” her teammate Naziah Grandberry said.

As her basketball skills continued to grow and develop over the course of her three years, her coaches and teammates noticed her diligence. Brown is now named team captain of the varsity girls’ basketball team due to her positivity. 

“Alayna is a fantastic player and teammate; she is someone the girls turn to for guidance and look up to. [The coaches] got together and chose Alayna as team captain because of her work ethic and ability to connect with everyone,” James Ward, her coach, said.

Brown is a self-taught artist in drawing, picking up her first pencil and drawing stick figures at a young age. Using drawing to escape the sometimes harsh realities of the world, Brown opens her mind to be imaginative and creative. She also creates illustrations in animation and is a lover of anime. Art is her creative outlet she resorts to when needed, and it is the key to much of her happiness.

“Whenever I get bored, mad, or maybe feel a bit alone, I always feel like coming back to a sheet of paper and a pencil,” Brown said. “Drawing is always welcoming, and I can just let my imagination run wild.”

Whether it is in the progress of her artwork, playing basketball, or mental well-being, Brown takes pride in the growth she sees in herself. Looking for the good in everyone and everything is something she has integrated into her mindset.

Wanting to dip her feet into new waters, Brown wants to try pursuing acting as a hobby. Her love for theater and infectious personality gravitated her to the other form of art she dared to try.

“I've done [acting a few] times and I've had a lot of fun with it,” Brown said. “Meeting different people and [seeing] how people have their different fortes when coming up and figuring acts out for an emotion or a certain scene is really, really fun.”

Brown has a clear path, knowing that she wants to pursue art in her future and make a serious career of it, but she is still not sure of the specifics. Hoping to create a buzz with recruiters, Brown is putting her all into her senior year and is making the most of it with memories. She hopes to lead the team to successful wins, with her dream being to play basketball as a student-athlete while majoring in art and being able to balance both of her passions together.

“I’ve always wanted to experience playing overseas and getting to meet new people and their cultures, but my heart is still split between art, too. I would love to be able to share my stories with the world and be in the entertainment field in some way,” Brown said.