Kamala Encinias: 'I think we like the family feel of it'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kamala Encinias

Senior and ASB Secretary

Seaside High School

 

Seaside High School senior Kamala Encinias is grateful for the diversity and welcoming environment on campus. In fact, she gets a little emotional when describing the kind of connection she feels to her fellow students.

“The fact that all kids here at Seaside High School are minority students, I think that helped me because I could find people that are similar to my situations and knowing that they come to school not complaining, working hard every day, with a smile on their face, even though they’re going through many challenges in their life. It helps to know that if they can do it, I can push through my daily life too,” said Encinias during a recent interview.

 

Encinias is the youngest in her family and the youngest cousin to attend Seaside High School, following several generations of family members who attended the school. She’s proud to be Samoan and thrives on the notion that her friends and many family members share Spartan Pride. 

“I think we like the family feel of it. Not even just like our own family but like you build bonds with other students and you just feel like a family,” Encinias said.

She’s an MPUSD student from the start, having attended JC Crumpton Elementary School and Los Arboles Middle School. There wasn’t really any other high school she wanted to attend, after seeing how successful the Seaside basketball program has been over the years. Basketball is in her blood and she’s been playing since first grade.

“When you have a real connection with your teammates, when you build up to that, I think there’s some satisfaction to know when you practice hard enough. I used to not have a lot of confidence in shooting. But I’ve practiced a lot throughout the years, and my hard work is paying off. I love being able to shoot in games. It’s a fulfilling feeling when I’m able to put my hard work into action,” Encinias said.

Encinias has dedicated her time to the United States Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Seaside High School during all four years and performs with the color guard at school and district events. She’s also a student leader on campus, currently serving as ASB secretary, as one of four MPUSD’s Student Board Members and is a member of Seaside High's Pacific Islanders Club.

She has a lot to balance, but Encinias feels confident taking on these responsibilities.

“I like to think of myself as the background player. Like I let all of my other classmates take the shine, but I’ll do the back work. I stay after games or events and I stay to clean up. I’m the first one there and then I’ll be the last one to leave, just cause I’ll let you run it. But I’ll handle the back work if you do the show,” Encinias said.

Encinias is hoping to attend a four-year university and is targeting schools within the California State University system for now. She’s very interested in going to Cal State University, Long Beach for the kinesiology program, but she’s also open to other opportunities.