Today we’d like to introduce you to Dlayla Chakolis
Hi Dlayla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well my story begins with a ball and a dream. Growing up all I wanted to do was play basketball. I was intrigued and inspired by the game and the people I’ve meet through out my career. I started playing for the YMCA in my early stages of my life. My dad was my coach. Eventually I feel in love with the game and started taking it more seriously.
I played for numerous teams.. Farview Park, Minnesota Stars, Hopkins and Hampton University
I took pride in making a name for myself during my career I was Nominated for Miss Basketball of Minnesota.. earned All-State, All-Conference, All-Metro at Hopkins High School while finishing fifth in career points scored..,Voted Best Rebounder in the State and won a State Champion .
I then earned a scholarship to play Division 1 Basketball at Hampton University and also earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Broadcasting
Hampton being an HBCU was amazing I was surrounded by the culture and got to enjoy both basketball and broadcasting.
I currently now Teach in an Elementary School while during content creation.
Aside from basketball content creation and broadcasting was one of my dreams as well .
I love engaging with people and letting them in on my journey.
I soon while be getting into coaching as well
So for my story I guess you can say I’m a jack of all trades
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was a grind to get where I am now today. With basketball came it struggles and challenges.
I was an undersized guard who could play the post, the struggle within that was having to guard players way taller than me. also figuring out how to be effective for my team amongst stars .”Nia Hollie, Paige Bueckers and many more” meaning scoring, rebounding or whatever the team needed.
I struggled with trusting the process and being patient with my self
I also struggled with similar things in college. Injury being one of the struggles. I battled with staying healthy. sprained ankles that eventually turned into 2 torn ligaments and a pulled groin.
On the other side of things I struggled with finding the right fit for my broadcasting career and also making a name for myself within the content creation world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For work I teach in an elementary school. I always had a love for connecting with students and helping them achieve goals in a classroom and also within sports.I specialize in special ed, I work one on one with students pretty much every day helping them learn all they can. i’m known for my energy, my patience my passion, my drive and also just being all around fun and Goofy. I’m proud of the young girl from North Minneapolis making it out and achieving all her goals. Graduating from high school and college were what I was most proud of because in the end
The goal with basketball was always to get a degree..
Also winning a state championship made me proud considering how many times we made it the tournament and didn’t win until my senior year .
What sets me apart from others is my personality and my work ethic.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Social media in general plays a huge role in my life. It’s part of what I wanna do with my life so I would say YouTube and TikTok mainly because that is where. I learned about content creation.
I love reading pretty much any kind of book (mystery biographies romance)
For podcasts, I love listening to Shannon Sharpe, B Simone and also listening to ESPN broadcasters(former wnba or nba ) I also love watching overtime, which is a platform for young athletes to showcase their talents
Contact Info:
- Instagram: LayLay.Chakolis
- Facebook: LayLay.Chakolis
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@inlaywetrust?si=X7I_-cgdDUSHtTj_
