Hawkins junior La’miya Anderson is a leader with a passion for community and helping others. Along with playing quarterback on the Hawks girl’s flag football team, she is the captain of the dance team.
Anderson stepped up as quarterback when Hawkins’ starting signal caller was sidelined with injury.
“I like playing wide receiver, but QB is actually pretty fun too,” she said. “Being able to throw the ball and watching them catch it and know that I got the pass right there, it’s pretty fun.”
Being the captain of the dance team has helped her as a student athlete and as a leader. Her dance background helped her adhere to the rules of flag football and taught her the importance of having patience.
“I think the most interesting rule is that we can’t jump or spin,” Anderson said. “For dance, we have to move a lot and move our hips, which also helps me on the field; since I can’t spin, I learned how to move my hips a lot so [opponents] can’t get my flag.”
Playing at quarterback has helped her be more vocal.
“I usually am the quiet kid that sits back and observes,” Anderson said. “Just me observing, I am pretty good at reading the field and seeing who’s open.”
A proud moment for Anderson was when the Hawks defeated the Dymally Challengers 24-0 in their first meeting.
“I did a lot of touchdowns, so I was really proud of myself,” she said. “Just having the aggression that we had there, it was pretty fun.
Being a student athlete teaches skills that are advantageous for school and beyond, according to Anderson.
“If you don’t want to do sports after high school, it does show that you are capable of multitasking and having the responsibility of doing work and something else,” she said.
At Hawkins, Anderson created a club called Mission to Change where she helps kids who fell behind in school get their grades up.
“I think peer-to-peer mentorship is a very important thing,” Anderson said. “We’re gonna have a study hall every Tuesday so they can get on track.”
Anderson is involved in the Brotherhood Crusade, where she participates in community service activities. She is also a member of the leadership committee at her church.
“We just had a mashup,” Anderson said. “We had a teen service where we had games and everybody can come with food … everything is free and you just enjoy yourself, making new friends.”
Anderson’s favorite classes are math and college and career readiness. She aspires to be an entrepreneur.
“I’m not sure what businesses I’m gonna have but I do want to have multiple,” Anderson said. “And then also give back to the community and things of that nature.”
