Kayla Borack
July Spotlight
Kayla Borack was born and raised in Fountain Valley and is a valuable member of this community, dedicated to those with disabilities. After growing up watching her grandmother advocate for her uncle who has an intellectual disability, she knew working with people who have disabilities was what she wanted to do with her life. Kayla was a Girl Scout for 12 years and earned the highest honor, the Gold Award, by completing a project where she reconstructed a club called Baron Buddies while attending Fountain Valley High School. This was a student-run club that held lunchtime activities to form relationships between special education students and general education peers. Also while attending FVHS, Kayla was a peer tutor for a theater class and assisted students with special needs for two years.
After graduating high school in 2016, Kayla attended California State University Long Beach, majoring in Liberal Studies with a goal of becoming a special education teacher. She was accepted into the Urban Dual Credential Program, which she completed and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and two preliminary teaching credentials in May 2021. In August 2021, Kayla was hired by Irvine Unified School District as an Elementary Education Specialist, teaching third and fourth grade students with autism. Along with teaching, Kayla will be in pursuit of her Master of Science degree in Special Education at CSULB, beginning in Fall 2022.
While attending college, Kayla’s dedication to her community and those surrounding was constant. She worked at Edison High School in Huntington Beach for three years in the Special Abilities Cluster Department as an Instructional Aide for students with disabilities, followed by one year in a similar position at Ocean View High School. During this time, Kayla was also working for the Fountain Valley Community Services Department in both the recreation and aquatics programs, where she continues to be employed, utilizing her knowledge of working with young people.
Kayla’s dedication to those with special needs did not stop there, as she also began volunteering with Special Olympics Southern California in 2016, and in 2020 became a swim coach for Surf City Swimmers. In 2019, Kayla began volunteering at dances hosted by the City of Fountain Valley Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities (ACPD) and was appointed as a committee member in 2020. At the onset of the pandemic, Kayla was instrumental in transitioning from the very popular in-person dances to virtual dances. This allowed adults with disabilities ages 18 and over to see their friends and socialize from the comfort of their own homes in the midst of social distancing.
Kayla continues to serve as a valuable member of the Advisory Committee and as a Fountain Valley Community Services team member. She is a shining star of the community, spreading joy and advocating for those with disabilities as part of her everyday life!
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