Class of 2016 Graduate: Kalysta White
Kalysta White spent two years as a member of the Hurricanes volleyball team, making two trips to the NCAA Tournament. With graduation on the horizon, the Laguna Beach, Calif., native shares her thoughts on her experience as a Hurricane.
After graduation I plan to move to Portland, Oregon to start my internship with Adidas Volleyball where I will be doing social media/marketing. I hope for this internship to turn into a full-time position after the summer is over.
Being part of the Hurricanes volleyball team was an experience I will never forget. My time on the Hurricane volleyball team has not only taught me a lot about myself, but it has prepared me for my experiences after graduation.
In two years at Miami, I have had a great opportunity to grow as a person and a player. All the amazing people in the athletic department have given me so many opportunities to get my name out into the sports industry and have more than prepared me for what will come after graduation. My amazing coaches and teammates have helped me grow on the court and off the court to the point where I have become very confident in who I am. All the great people in the academic department, including all my professors, have given me so much knowledge not only in the books, but through their personal connections and experiences. Overall, I have had more than opportunities at Miami than I could ever ask for.
One of my best memories of my time at Miami was beating FSU at home during my senior season. Just like any other match, we wanted to win that one badly, but this victory was such a sweet victory that I will never forget. I even get the chills thinking about it right now.
A class/professor at Miami that I really enjoyed was my Social Media Strategies class with Dr. Lancaster. This class was the most enjoyable for me because it is a subject area that really interests me and I hope to make as a career.
Coach Jose “Keno” Gandara impacted me in too many ways to mention in a few sentences. He believed in me. He took a chance with me and trusted that I was a good fit for his team. He taught me not just about the game of volleyball, but about life. I will be forever grateful to Keno for all he has done for me.
In five years, I hope to be happy at whatever I am doing. I have no idea what the future holds for me, but I am ready and excited to find out.
My favorite part of being a Hurricane is being part of a special family for life. I will always be a Cane wherever I go and in whatever I do.
What I’ll miss most about the University of Miami is the weather, my friends, teammates, coaches, and all the people who have helped me throughout my journey here at Miami.
Being a Hurricane has helped me not only become the person I am today, but more importantly, prepared me for the future. That is really all I could ask for from The U.
