HeY!

Three of my biggest passions are basketball, food, and family. I'd like to share how they're all intertwined!

 

Basketball. In 2005, I began playing basketball through my local Japanese community center. I played from kindergarten until the end of high school, and I learned valuable life lessons such as time management, how to be a good leader, and the importance of giving back to those who have helped you along the way. After playing for the same community center for 13 years, I decided that I wanted to return to coach my younger cousin's team once I graduated from college. I often think about how this one small decision my parents had made to put me in community basketball when I was little was such a big canon event for me; I would not be "Hayley" if it weren't for this sport and community. Through this community, I grew closer to my family since my cousins and nieces now play for the same organization as I did, I met my current boyfriend of 5+ years among many other lifelong friends, and I even worked at my most recent job due to connections in the organization! I created my Venice Youth Council Website in hopes of continuing to help this community grow and flourish.

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FOOD!! My love for food began when I used to stay home from school when I was sick and binge watch the Food Network (nothing good was playing on Disney Channel during the school day). Rachel Ray and Giada De Laurentiis became my idols and at the ripe age of seven, and I had aspirations of becoming a professional chef one day. Here I am, an aspiring UX designer, so obviously I didn't follow that dream...BUT my passion for cooking and food has persisted up until this day. When I was 12, I discovered a remarkable "fast food" restaurant called Chipotle.  It was so delicious that it immediately became my entire personality, and I would frequently cry out "I love Chipotle, Chipotle is my life" from that one viral Vine video. When I played for the basketball team in high school, my teammates and I would walk to Chipotle before practices and games 2-3 times a week, and it soon became a place that I associated with basketball, friends, and laughter. Fast forward to me being a broke college student... I ended up applying to Chipotle as an employee and landed the job! Aside from the inevitable stress of being in food service, I truly enjoyed working there for the two years that I did, and I can still confidently say that I still love Chipotle even though it is no longer "my life". My Chipotle Employee Scheduling App is dedicated to my favorite fast food chain!

 

Family <3. Family for me has always gone hand in hand with basketball and food. For basketball, my 3 siblings and I all grew up playing for the same organization. Many of our family outings consisted of going to each other's basketball games, traveling out of town for basketball tournaments, or going out to eat after games. Eventually, my younger cousins and my nieces began playing for the same organization, so now we go and watch other family members play the sport that has always kept us bonded together. When it comes to food and family, it all started with my Grandpa Bob who loved to cook for his family and showed his love for us through cooking. (Perhaps, he was one of my inspirations for cooking at such a young age!) After his recent passing at the end of 2022, my family grieved and showed love for each other in the only way we knew how: through food. Every weekend, my house was filled with all of my aunties, uncles, and cousins, and we would try to replicate our grandpa's famous recipes. Everyone was so eager to cook for one another and we grew closer through this commonality that we all shared. After this bonding experience, I have gained a greater sense of appreciation for my family and now try to spend as much time with them as possible! My Household Management App is dedicated to families who want to be more efficient with their mandatory household duties so they can free up more time to laugh and love together!