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Softball Sensation
Johnson Senior, Family Pillars of Encino Park
By Amy Morgan
This month’s student spotlight not only represents personal accomplishment but also testifies to the value of community and family. Emily Kaman is the youngest of four children to graduate from Johnson High School. Her family has been a pillar of the Encino Park community since before she was born. Her mother, Michelle, teaches special education at Encino Park Elementary. Her father, Tony, has been a volunteer coach for McAllister Park Little League for decades. The Kamans have served on the Johnson High School Athletic Booster Association (JPA) for 10 years, as Emily followed brothers Jonas and Sam and sister Catherine through Johnson’s sports, academic and extracurricular programs.
Not surprising for one who cut her teeth watching her older siblings’ games and meets, Emily has excelled in sports. She accepted a D2 scholarship to play softball at Biola University in Los Angeles and joined the lady Eagles at the start of the school year. Despite it being an 18-hour drive from San Antonio, the campus “felt like home” to Emily. She visited multiple times during her years playing softball with California-based Corona Angels. Her coach Lorie Coleman attended and coached at Biola, and she’ll join select teammate Izzy Coleman who preceded her.
Biola was rated “One of the Best Colleges for Student Experience” by the Wall Street Journal. Emily will study Kinesiology to prepare for a future career as a physical therapist or physician’s assistant. She appreciates that the small Christian college offers daily chapel. Emily and her family have been actively involved at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, where she has served on teen ACTS retreats, volunteered at VBS and prepared the altar.
Emily started playing ball at McAllister Park, joining her brother’s T-ball and Coach Pitch baseball teams before she was quite old enough to qualify. Her father convinced the head coach to give her a try, and she quickly proved she was ready for the team. At nine she was selected as an alternate for the 10-year-old All Stars, before switching to softball the next year.
Emily began playing with the Corona Angels team even before starting sixth grade at Tejeda Middle School. Emily credits her teammates and coaches as fostering her love of the sport. “They’ve been around for half of my childhood,” she said. She also appreciates her family’s dedication to her tournament travel schedule.
Surprisingly, Emily’s favorite memory from Johnson involves basketball, not softball, although the team’s District Championship her junior year was a highlight. “Coach D (Desmarais) and Coach Harris were flexible with me and let me work around my schedule to pursue my dream of a college scholarship,” she said. “They came out to my softball games and supported me on and off the field. It meant a lot to me.”
In addition to sports, Emily was inducted into National Honor Society and served as a PAL. She enjoyed mentoring her middle and elementary school PALees as well as the Special Olympics track meet. She remembers her student started out shy but got excited for the 25-meter run. “He was so happy and happy to see his twin brother win, too!”
In the summer, Emily lifeguards at the Encino Park community pool. She fondly remembers running around at swim team meets and biking to the pool when her older siblings were the lifeguards. “That was the life,” she said, recognizing the role her “village” has contributed to her success.
