Black History Month Alumna Interview: Kayla Caffey '16

In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating our Black alumnae women who have been the voices and changemakers in our community.

Kayla Caffey ‘16 made her mark at Mother McAuley as one of the best middle hitters and blockers the volleyball program has ever seen. She started on varsity as a sophomore and off the bat, played a pivotal role averaging kills 2.5 per set. In her first season on varsity, the Mighty Macs won the 2013 IHSA State Championship against Benet Academy, where Kayla contributed 8 kills. 

In 2015, her senior season, she won the Daily Southtown Player of the Year and averaged 3.5 kills per set. In her three seasons, she had an impressive 632 career kills and 200 career blocks. 

In a past interview with Tony Baranek from the Chicago Tribune, Coach Jen DeJarld said, “Kayla was, in my opinion, the top middle blocker in the state. I didn't see anyone else who rivaled her power and dominance of the game.”

After graduating from Mother McAuley, she went on to play NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). She made the SEC All Freshman Team in 2017 and was on the Dean’s List for three semesters. 

She graduated from Mizzou with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. For her graduate season, she went on to continue her volleyball career at the University of Nebraska. 

This past season, Kayla and the #10 Huskers had an exciting showing at the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, with wins over #2 Texas and #3 Pittsburgh. They made it to the prestigious championship game, and won runner up against #4 Wisconsin. 

Kayla won a number of accolades including AVCA All-America Second Team (2021), AVCA North All-Region (2021), Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 6, 2021), Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2021), Academic All-Big Ten (2021), and Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2020; Spring 2021). 

She graduated with her M.A in Teacher Learning & Teacher Education with a certificate in Early Literacy this past December. She is currently working on her second Masters Degree in Higher Education and Educational Administration.

Kayla is in the process of applying to play her fifth season of volleyball at Nebraska, in hopes of bringing home a National Championship Title. In the meantime, she is continuing her pursuit of higher education and starting her first season of sand volleyball this spring. 

In an interview with Kayla, Peyton Brokemond ‘22, a senior and member of the Black Student Union, asked her a series of questions about her time during and after McAuley. 

How are you able to balance practice and school work in your college career? 

“Mother McAuley really prepared me well for that. Our practices (at McAuley) mimicked what it was going to be like in college. In the summers we would weight train, and I didn’t know many high schools that did that. I had to manage my time well and I think athletics helps with that because your schedule is so structured. Our rigorous practice schedule at McAuley and club volleyball helped too.”

What advice would you give to McAuley girls who do want to play in college?

“Definitely go for it. It’s important to find your perfect fit and whatever it is that you want to get out of the experience. My experience at Mizzou was completely different than my experience at Nebraska. Mizzou was fun, more laid back. McAuley was serious volleyball and I would compare that to Nebraska. If you love volleyball and if you want to win a championship then go somewhere where it is very serious. But if you want a well-rounded experience, I would go to a smaller school. Wherever you go, you will love it. Just make sure you like the coaches and your teammates when looking for a school.”

What was one of your biggest accomplishments? 

"I think one of my biggest accomplishments is when I made Second-Team All American this past season!"

How/when did you realize you wanted a career in education? 

“My mom is a teacher and she has been a teacher my entire life. I always thought it was fun and I have always loved kids. It actually took me until my sophomore year at Mizzou to figure it out. I was originally a nursing major and it was no longer interesting to me. I had to have a heart to heart with myself to figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work with kids, so I resorted back to education. I absolutely love it, and do not regret my decision at all.”

What did you learn or take away from McAuley? 

“A huge takeaway from McAuley was how diverse McAuley was. I had so many friends of different religions and races and that really prepared me for college. College is a huge, diverse, mixing pool and it taught me how to make connections with people different from myself. 

To love your neighbor. Having Theology really helped courses to learn about people on a deeper level and to be a caring loving human is a takeaway.

On the volleyball aspect, to be a competitor. Coach DeJarld was a tough coach and she helped me learn a lot of discipline. It really helps transition into life - being organized, disciplined, and having it all together.”

What was your favorite McAuley memory?

“I absolutely loved Mercy Day. It was so fun, I miss singing all the songs! I also loved the Suscipe. Sometimes in my car I will just be singing it. Also, the cookies and the chicken wild rice soup!”

Watch part of Kayla’s interview here: https://youtu.be/n4TYOEz7bqI