How Tennis Fuels Cayna Ghaly’s
Vision for Service

With high school graduation just a month away, Cayna Ghaly is preparing herself to head to Amherst College in the fall, where she will continue both her academic and tennis careers. Looking back on her time at South Pasadena High School, Cayna reflects on a journey driven by a desire to be part of something much larger than herself. Her influence is measured not only by the success she has seen on the court, but by the lives she has touched through extensive volunteer work, her personal development, and the growth of her nonprofit organization.

California Roots

Cayna developed the discipline required for high level tennis through her early influences. Born in San Francisco, her family moved to South Pasadena at age four, where her family has remained ever since. As the eldest of four siblings, Cayna deeply values her family time while embracing her role as a leader, an experience that naturally fostered her sense of responsibility and her inclination toward mentorship.

“Being a big sister is one of the greatest joys of my life and has certainly given me a love and appreciation for children,” Cayna emphasized.

Sports played an essential role in Cayna’s childhood, largely due to her father. A lifelong player who competed at Brown University, Dr. Mark Ghaly served as her primary coach from the beginning, instilling in her the confidence and drive to constantly improve.

“From driving me to tournaments and practices to spending hours a week with me on the courts across the street from my house, my dad sacrificed so much to help me become a confident player,” Cayna mentioned. 

Tennis wasn’t her only pursuit, however; until her sophomore year, she balanced it with cross-country, navigating the intense demands of two sports competing for her time in the same season. The two sports complemented each other well, as the endurance she built through long races helped her withstand long matches without tiring. The dual-sport lifestyle taught her the importance of being well-versed in multiple endeavors, but the competitive environment of Southern California tennis eventually drew her in.

“USTA tournaments appealed to me due to my competitive nature—I wanted to see how I compared to other girls in the most competitive tennis location in the country,” Cayna stated. “Once you start tournaments, you meet people who help shape your game and can push you to the next level. That is what kept me going back to USTA sites weekend after weekend, pushing myself to become the best tennis player I could be.”

The Path to Amherst

Being a student-athlete taught Cayna many life lessons, especially about prioritization. Having to dedicate much of her energy to either her studies or hours on the court, she learned that sacrifices had to be made. In the Ghaly household, academics always came before athletics, yet for Cayna, that was no excuse to not focus her hardest on tennis. Balancing the two meant treating each as a top priority and managing her time carefully. 

Academically, Cayna found herself drawn to history, fueled by a desire to understand how the past shaped the modern world. She also embraced the challenge of math, inspired by her high school teacher who pushed students to tackle complex problems while making class fun and engaging. 

Despite years of knowing she wanted to play collegiate tennis, Cayna’s recruiting process started relatively late. It wasn’t until the summer before her senior year that she began reaching out to coaches, compiling film, and focusing on her rankings.

“I was very fortunate to make connections with several coaches across the country and be able to explore multiple exceptional programs,” said Cayna. “Ultimately, Amherst stood out to me as a place I would love to attend, both for tennis and for academics. Setting tennis aside, it was very important to me that I found a rigorous college experience that would push me in my academics, and Amherst definitely checked that box. On one of my visits, I had the privilege of seeing the team dynamics firsthand by observing a practice and spending time with the girls on the team. Overall, I saw Amherst as a place where I could be really happy, both on the tennis team, and in my time in the classroom. Since committing [in January], I find I am more and more excited about it by the day, and cannot wait to see what is in store for me over the next four years!”

Fostering Love

Cayna’s perspective on leadership and responsibility was deeply influenced by her father’s career in public service. Dr. Mark Ghaly served as the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the State of California from 2019 through 2024. Watching him navigate the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic gave Cayna a firsthand look at how policy shapes a community.

“I saw firsthand how policy and community shape each other,  and how each group of people are affected by various decisions. I learned that leadership is about service—about doing everything you can for the good of those around you that you are responsible for,” Cayna stated. “And that this is done practically by bringing out the best work in each person around you.” 

This commitment to service culminated in the creation of Fostering Love, a nonprofit Cayna founded to support youth in the foster care system. The organization represents a perfect intersection of her athletic background and her desire to create positive, lasting experiences for underserved children in her community. The idea was sparked by a life-changing trip to Kenya the summer before her sophomore year. While volunteering at a hospice, Cayna formed deep bonds with children who had endured immense suffering. She returned home with a new perspective and an open heart, determined to make a change in her own community. 

Transforming Fostering Love from an idea into a reality was a massive hurdle. Cayna spent her summers navigating bureaucratic mazes, and conducting countless meetings with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and other foster care organizations. Her goal was to provide high-quality tennis instruction and equipment free of charge, which involved securing donations from the United States Tennis Association (USTA). 

To date, Cayna’s efforts have reached a wide range of children across 15 sessions. She managed the program’s operations for two weeks during the summer following her sophomore year and returned the following summer to lead a high-intensity, one-week session with extended daily hours. 

The early stages were often difficult, as many of the children arrived feeling closed off and shy. Cayna discovered that there was no method to break through those walls other than genuine friendship.

“The most challenging part of orchestrating Fostering Love was helping these kids open up and step out of their comfort zone,” shared Cayna. “I don’t really have a trick to how I did this other than simply being their friend. Many of the kids needed someone to show that they cared, and I did this through listening to stories, worries, celebrations, and standing alongside them as they navigated through it.” 

The emotional payoff for all of that work became evident on the court, as Cayna watched as the atmosphere shifted from one of hesitation to one of pure joy.

“The most meaningful part is definitely the outcome,” Cayna reflected. “It wasn’t long until the five-year-olds were singing on the court while they were hitting balls, the ten-year-olds were doing cartwheels, and the twelve-year-olds were telling me every single detail of their day.” 

The Impact of Tennis

Cayna chose tennis as the primary vehicle for Fostering Love because of the immense personal impact the sport had on her own life. She believed that if tennis could play such a pivotal role in her own development, it could offer the same benefits to children who might otherwise never have the opportunity to pick up a racquet.

“Aside from a great form of exercise and pure fun, tennis teaches many crucial life lessons such as persistence, independence, and dedication. For me, tennis has also allowed me to tap into a part of myself I didn’t know existed before. Tennis has given me a confidence I would otherwise be lacking and I owe much of my personal growth to this incredible sport. I wanted to show kids, who otherwise would not have been exposed to it, the wonders of tennis.” 

Continued Advocacy and Next Steps

As her final weeks of high school wind down, Cayna is already looking toward her next set of goals. Before she departs for Massachusetts, she is preparing to run Fostering Love again this summer, aiming to build upon the sessions already completed and reach even more children through her partnerships with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Olive Crest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse by strengthening, equipping, and restoring children and families in crisis. 

“As I enter into this next chapter of my life, I hope to continue learning to trust myself on the court. So much of tennis depends on me trusting my shots, knowing that I can make the ball. Having trust in my shots requires me to continue working day after day on my precision, my footwork and my conditioning. By continuing to work on the fundamentals of each shot, I will be able to trust them and go for them consistently.”

Cayna plans to bring the same discipline to Amherst that defined her time in South Pasadena. For her, the next four years are as much about maintaining her commitment to advocacy and leadership as they are about competing. 

“Off the court, I hope to continue my work in leadership and service. I hope that the ongoing support of my faith, family, friends and tennis will allow me to find opportunities to serve, lead and have a positive impact on my community in Southern California or in Amherst, Massachusetts.”