{"id":141972,"date":"2025-08-15T11:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/?p=141972"},"modified":"2025-08-15T11:24:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:24:46","slug":"history-maker-barrier-breaker-inspiring-leader-dont-miss-your-chance-to-meet-her-at-this-years-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/uncategorized\/history-maker-barrier-breaker-inspiring-leader-dont-miss-your-chance-to-meet-her-at-this-years-gala","title":{"rendered":"History Maker. Barrier Breaker. Inspiring Leader. Don’t miss your chance to meet her at this year’s Gala!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At just 17 years old, Kayla Kosmalski<\/span><\/strong> <\/a>is already making history and inspiring hearts across the nation. Born with Down syndrome, Kayla has never let a diagnosis define her. From the time she was a little girl, asking Santa for a stage at age three, Kayla has been a natural performer. She began competing in beauty pageants at just five years old, driven by a love for the stage and a determination to show the world what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In April 2024, that determination led her to a groundbreaking moment: becoming the first young woman with Down syndrome to win the title of Miss Delaware Teen USA. This was not only a historic win for the pageant world, but a victory for disability inclusion and representation everywhere. Later that year, Kayla stepped onto the national Miss Teen USA stage, where she made history again\u2014this time as the first contestant with Down syndrome to compete\u2014and won the title of Miss Congeniality, capturing hearts nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Kayla\u2019s advocacy began long before the crown. Alongside her family, she helped champion Kayla\u2019s Law, Delaware\u2019s expansion of the ABLE Act, which allows individuals with disabilities to save for the future without losing vital benefits. Her leadership earned her the admiration of national leaders, including then\u2013Vice President Joe Biden, who fondly nicknamed her \u201cPrincess Kayla.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond her advocacy and pageantry, Kayla is a talented cheerleader, having joined the sport at age 13. Today, she is a proud member of Wilmington University\u2019s National Champion cheerleading team, competing at nationals in Florida and finishing third in her division. She is also pursuing a B.S. in Communications at WilmU, where she\u2019s known for her diligence, collaborative spirit, and her goal to graduate with a 4.0 GPA.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Now, Kayla\u2019s incredible life story is being brought to the big screen by acclaimed actress, writer, and director Kelly Lintz. The upcoming feature film, titled Able<\/em><\/a>, will chronicle Kayla\u2019s journey leading up to her Miss Delaware Teen USA victory, highlighting the challenges she has overcome, the love and support of her family, and the limitless power of self-belief. We were thrilled to welcome Kelly Lintz to our GiGi\u2019s Playhouse community for a free family movie event on August 10, where families heard about the making of the film, and celebrated the beautiful story that inspired it!<\/p>\n\n\n

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We are equally honored to announce that Kayla Kosmalski will be recognized as our 2024 SKate Award recipient at the annual ‘i have a voice<\/em>‘ Gala this fall. The SKate Award, established by GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Atlanta founders Adrienne and Paul Mulligan, stands for Spreading awareness and advocating for Knowledge, Acceptance, Truth, and Empowerment<\/em>. Each year, this prestigious honor is given to an individual or organization that embodies these values through meaningful action and advocacy. Kayla joins an incredible list of SKate Award honorees, including 5-time Olympic bobsled medalist Elana Meyers Taylor with her coach and husband Nic Taylor, McAlister\u2019s Deli, Grace & Carrie Key of Candidly Kind, and Rep. Scott Hilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether she\u2019s speaking on a national stage, cheering with her teammates, or encouraging others to \u201cdream big, be brave, be strong, be yourself, and keep shining brightly,\u201d Kayla is shifting perceptions, challenging stereotypes, and proving that individuals with Down syndrome can\u2014and do\u2014achieve extraordinary things. She is breaking barriers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us in celebrating Kayla at our ‘i have a voice’ Gala<\/a> this fall. Together, we can uplift voices like Kayla\u2019s and continue building a world of global acceptance for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get your tickets to this year’s October 4th Gala here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At just 17 years old, Kayla Kosmalski is already making history and inspiring hearts across the nation. Born with Down syndrome, Kayla has never let a diagnosis define her. From the time she was a little girl, asking Santa for a stage at age three, Kayla has been a natural performer. She began competing in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1619,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141972\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/atlanta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}