MORAGA, Calif. — In February, Brianna Simonich and Taycee Wedin were introduced to Ayla Zawadzki, the newest member of the Saint Mary's Women's Basketball program. The impact that Ayla continues to leave on this pair of Gaels starters pushed both of them to pursue and accept a fellowship with Team IMPACT, the organization that brought Ayla to the Gaels.
 
Team IMPACT Fellowships are a nationwide program that features roughly 60 student-athletes from 50 campuses across the country. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to enhance awareness of the Team IMPACT programs, as well as developing leadership and communication skills, both within the community and with each other.
 
"Our role with Team IMPACT aligns with our goals," mentioned Simonich. "We will be a voice for the program here on campus. We will take the training they provide us with and use it to create new opportunities. With this we hope to bring more amazing team members like Ayla onto different Saint Mary's teams."
 
Part of the program that Simonich and Wedin will be partaking in includes a Team IMPACT Summit that kicks off training, which was originally set to take place in-person at the organization's headquarters in Boston. Despite the summit transitioning to a virtually setting, Simonich is still looking forward to the experience.
 
"I would like to have the knowledge and leadership skills that I need to spread awareness across our campus," Simonich said about what she hopes to bring back following the initial training period. "Making Team IMPACT a larger presence here at Saint Mary's is a goal we have going into this year. This is a great learning opportunity for myself and also others. I would love to share my experience with other teams, and bring in new members to the Team IMPACT community."
 
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit 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. 
 
For Wedin, this opportunity was a no-brainer once the Gaels brought on Ayla to their roster, officially in early February. "I really wanted to get involved with Team IMPACT after I heard that Ayla would be joining our team," remembers Wedin. "I wanted to learn more about the program and how they helped kids from all over the country. I admire a lot about Team IMPACT and their mission and also have enjoyed getting to know Ayla and her family."
 
In the last few seasons, Saint Mary's College has paired up with two kids from Team IMPACT: Ayla, who joined the Women's Basketball team in February, and Quentin "Squishy" Rios, who joined the Men's Soccer program in 2018. Overall, it is the third partnership between Saint Mary's College and Team IMPACT.
 
"I am excited to continue working with Team IMPACT because I will get to meet new people and learn new skills that are helping make a positive impact in many people's lives," Wedin said of the upcoming internship. "I am grateful for the opportunity and am looking forward to the future with Team IMPACT!"
 
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