Holland basketball player who grew up in refugee camp wins Naismith Courage Award
HOLLAND, Mich. (BVM) – Lay Ray Paw is a 16-year-old athlete at Holland High School. She plays varsity basketball, and is just like any other girl on the team. However, Lay Ray has a past unlike most others, and her determination and courageousness has culminated in winning the inaugural Naismith Courage Award.
Lay Ray is one of six siblings who grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand, called Mae La Oon. Her father was killed after leaving the camp and her mother died due to illness because of the lack of medical supplies the camp had. That led to oldest sister, Shi Re Wa – who was 14 at the time – to have to raise the family.
Conditions in the camp were predictably very poor. The family lived in huts and slept on mats. They also had nets to wear on their face to protect them from mosquitos, but Lay Ray and some of her siblings still contracted malaria. Food was also rationed, often leading the family to go hunt for their own meal in the woods or river.
With growing concern about the family’s living conditions, Shi Re Wa applied to the United Nations for asylum to another country. The family was accepted, but it was unknown where they might end up or if they would get to stay together.
Eventually, the family found out they would be going to America. While sad that they had to leave their cousins and grandparents behind in Thailand, a better life awaited them in the U.S. Lay Ray and the rest of her family experienced a lot of firsts during their trip over; things which would be normal to Americans, but were foreign to them.
“When we left that day everything became new to us, such as riding in a vehicle, roads, buildings, and seeing other sites outside the camp,” Lay Ray said. “We were put on a plane, but we were very scared because we could not understand what they were saying to us.”
After a two-day trip, the family landed in Grand Rapids, Mich., where they would meet their new foster parents, Bob and Marcia Gustavson.
Having two kids of their own that were all grown up, Bob and Marcia had been empty nesters for several years. After hearing radio ads about needing foster parents for refugees, the couple became licensed, and was approached about taking in all six kids from Thailand so they would not have to split up the family. Once they learned more about them, Bob and Marcia decided they would indeed foster all of the siblings.
After meeting at the airport, the couple took them back to their house, where Lay Ray and the others again came across many firsts.
“They took us home, but we had never been in a house. They showed us rooms, but we did not know what to do because we had never slept in beds before. We were not used to the running water or electricity either,” Lay Ray said.
However, the family would find some similarities to their past in Thailand at their new home. They saw Bob and Marcia’s swimming pool similar to the river they used to swim at, and would also go gather and play in the woods behind the house as they used to back home. Bob and Marcia also made sure they had rice for the siblings, as they were not keen on eating American food.
“Other than rice and chicken, they really did not like American food,” the Gustavsons said. “For the first four years we went through a 50-pound bag of rice every three weeks and it continues to be a daily part of our meal plan to this day.”
But as one might expect, the biggest difficulty the new family encountered was the language barrier. Often, Bob and Marcia would have to act things out just to get simple messages across.
“The first few months were very difficult due to the language barrier. We felt like we were just playing a game of charades 24/7,” the couple said.
At times, they would have to go as far as calling an interpreter in order to get an important message across. But as the youngest, Lay Ray began understanding English quicker than the rest of her siblings. Before long, the 16-year-old was able to act as the interpreter between the parents and the rest of her family.
After a few years of fostering the kids, Bob and Marcia wanted to officially adopt them. Although legal complications prevented that until 2016, the eight have considered themselves a true family for much longer.
Lay Ray’s involvement with sports began soon after she and her siblings made their way to Grand Rapids. She began playing around second grade, and Bob and Marcia got her involved with recreational soccer and basketball after seeing her speed and athletic ability.
The 16-year-old has also been involved with volleyball and cross country in the past, but has stuck with her main sports of basketball and soccer in high school. This season, Lay Ray made the varsity basketball team at Holland, which despite creating some nerves for her, was an honor.
“I was very excited to be called up to varsity, but I was also scared because the other girls were so good. The game was also much faster than I was used to, but everyone on the team was very nice and fun to play with and my coach was very encouraging and believed in me,” Lay Ray said.
Lay Ray says her best attributes are her speed and anticipation skills, and because of that, she loves the defensive side of the court. She uses those same skills in soccer, and ultimately loves both sports because of the team camaraderie and friends she has made.
In addition to athletics, the 16-year-old has also impressed in the classroom. Lay Ray has been on the honor roll since starting at Holland, and recently made the National Honor Society at the school. Although uncertain about what she might want to do someday, Lay Ray does plan to attend college and hopes to continue her athletic career as well.
In April, Lay Ray’s incredible story, and also the work she puts in on and off the court earned her the inaugural Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award. Lay Ray is one of two high school athletes in the country selected to win the award, which recognizes a boys and girls high school basketball player who has consistently gone above and beyond throughout the basketball season and has demonstrated courage in their approach to their team, their school, the game, and their community according to Naismith.
Lay Ray first found out about the award in February when her coach nominated her. However, she realized her chances of winning were likely slim with thousands of applicants across the country. But weeks later, the 16-year-old would find out she had been named one of the top five finalists for the award, giving her a realistic chance.
Before her basketball team’s final game of the season, Lay Ray found out in the locker room that she had won the award.
“I felt so happy. All the girls were so excited, jumping up and down and hugging and congratulating me,” she said.
The 16-year-old was presented with a trophy, thermos, sweatshirt and her team was given a $500 check as well. It’s a truly special honor for Lay Ray, and she knows there are a lot of kids across the country who could have won it as well.
“Many people have asked me how I feel about winning this award and what I feel is gratefulness. I know that there are many kids who have been through a lot of tough times and are just as deserving as I am so I feel honored and blessed to be chosen,” Lay Ray said.
While there were numerous candidates for the award, it is hard to imagine many have a story like Lay Ray. How far she has come athletically, academically, and just as a person in such a short time is remarkable, and her journey is far from over. She has been rightfully honored with this award and Bob and Marcia couldn’t be happier for the girl they took in as their own 10 years ago.
“We were excited to find out about this award and feel Lay Ray is well deserving of it,” the couple said. “Besides being good at sports and working hard academically, Lay Ray has always had a caring heart for others and always displays a positive attitude. We are so proud of her.”
