News at St. Catherine's
Jala Wilson signs to first HBCU dive team
Even two years ago, Jala Wilson did not think she would make history by being the first St. Catherine’s diver to dive collegiately.
Not only that, but she’ll do so for the nation’s first HBCU dive team, at Howard University.
“It really hit me at signing day that this was kind of monumental,” the senior said. “I’m still realizing it and taking it in, but it’s a lot.”
Wilson’s interest in diving began in seventh grade when she began watching videos on YouTube, but she wasn’t completely invested. After her sophomore season was lost to COVID, she returned for her junior year and something sparked.
During that time she fell in love with diving even more, and thanks to the support of her coach, Diane Maise, she decided she wanted to pursue diving in college.
“Seeing someone that looked like me in the sport really meant a lot because I remember going to practice and I was the only Black girl there,” she said. “Just seeing someone in a place like that, especially someone older and seeing yourself in a place where you don’t see yourself often, is really good to see.”
Wilson said that the relationship with Maise blossomed quickly and she is a role model in her life.
“I talk to her all the time, and I ask her for advice about certain things. Even though we are close, she still pushes me and she wants me to be the best that I can, and I really appreciate that,” the diver said
“She’s really supportive and having someone like her, who’s gone through this, it’s really helpful to have her in my corner.”
During her recruitment process, Wilson, along with the help of her counselors and her coach, had to reach out to different coaches in order to get her name out there because she did not have the experience of diving at a club or even diving at big meets.
“It was really about getting my name to coaches and reaching out on my own, with the help of my counselors and my coach, but really just emailing coaches saying, ‘Hi, these are some of my highlight videos, this is my GPA, these are the classes I’m taking,’ just putting myself on their radar because I started the recruiting process so late in the game,” she said.
Even while doing the extra work to get recruited, Wilson also put in the work in the pool and was able to win the LIS title for the Saints and finished second at the VISAA state meet.
Eventually, it all paid off and Wilson was offered a chance to dive at a few different schools, including NYU and Howard. She chose Howard.
“I’m excited to be going to Howard to dive,” she said. “I just think I’m going to be more comfortable myself as a diver, and really growing around people who are similar to me is going to be the best experience for me as a diver as I go through college.”
Howard University is the first HBCU to have a formal swim team in the country and for Wilson it was a perfect fit.
“I was at the admitted students day and I almost started tearing up,” she said. “It just made me so proud of who I am, because sometimes it’s so difficult to feel that way when you don’t see many people that look like you in your everyday life, so being up there and having that experience, I was overwhelmed, I was overjoyed – it was amazing.”
For Wilson, diving is an escape to have fun and enjoy herself, and she intends to make her college career a fun one.
“I just want to do my best, have fun, I don’t see a professional career after that, but really enjoying it and soaking it all in while I’m there, meeting new people, having new experiences is what I’m really looking forward to most,” the senior said.
Throughout the entire experience, Wilson had a large support system of teammates, family, coaches and counselors in her corner.
“I’m just really grateful for everything and all the support I’ve had because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without it these people.”
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Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
