MORAGA, Calif. — Tuesday afternoon was special inside University Credit Union Pavilion, as Saint Mary's Women's Basketball introduced its newest recruit. Eight-year-old Ayla Zawadzki signed her Letter of Intent during a press conference in front of local media, her new teammates, and a host of staff members and student-athletes from Saint Mary's Athletics.
 
Ayla is a native of Moraga who has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which is needed to allow sugar to enter cells in order to produce energy. "A couple of years ago, she was impacted with celiac disease as well," her father Mark revealed. "Even with all of that stuff, we find that Ayla has the ability to impact people in a lot of different ways. We are very proud of her for not only attacking the issues that she has, but also staying strong to who she is."
 
"It's extremely important that both communities work together to create positive influences on our community," head coach Paul Thomas said during the press conference. For Saint Mary's College, this is the third partnership with Team IMPACT, and the first with the Women's Basketball team.
 
As part of the "Draft Day" ceremonies hosted on campus, Ayla was donning a full-assortment of Gaels gear, including her very own jersey, personalized with her name on the backside. During the press conference, she prepared and gave a little speech, thanking everyone who made this opportunity come to fruition, and also got the chance to speak with members of Bay Area media following the formal conference. And of course, there were a lot of photos taken.
 
"I am happy to be here. I want to thank my coaches and my teammates, I'm glad that I joined them. It gives me a great opportunity to make new friends," Ayla said, opting to speak last during the press conference once her younger brother, Sawyer, joined her at the table.
 
"She is my inspiration," her mother Reigin mentioned. "What she deals with on a day-to-day basis, she is a very strong individual, and this opportunity is only going to make her stronger."
 
"All of our teammates have unique qualities on the court, off the court," coach Thomas spoke during the ceremony, talking about Ayla. "We like to bring into our program people with positive attitudes, people that always like to smile, people that are fun to be around. Whether it's after a tough loss or an exciting win, they are always happy people. And you really fit that bill and we want to make sure that you continue to do that."
 
Before and after hearing those lines from coach Thomas, Ayla had the biggest grin on her face that could not be wiped off. She was beaming from ear-to-ear, a clear indication that coach Thomas made the right choice in bringing her on board.
 
One Gael in particular has gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with her over the past few weeks. "I was introduced to Team IMPACT and Ayla's story a couple of months ago, and a few weeks ago she came to campus and we went on a hike up the mountain," sophomore guard Jade Kirisome mentioned after the press conference. "It was nice to get to know her, she's got a lot of energy and it was great to get to know her in a one-on-one setting." 
 
Not only was the time spent with her eye-opening, but so was hearing her story in-full. "It's amazing, she doesn't let it get her down," Kirisome spoke about her conditions. "It's really cool to see someone her age have that kind of work ethic and doesn't let anything get in her way."
 
To put a bow on the ceremonies, Ayla's mother Reigin said "We are so grateful for this opportunity. The team that we've gotten to know and hopefully continue to get to know, they've been great to work with. It's been so much fun to see the joy and happiness it brings Ayla."
 
As an official team member, Ayla will attend Gaels practices, games, team dinners, events, and more surrounding the program.
 
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, MA that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.