Tessa cares: Highlander freshman raises money for juvenile diabetes


ROYALTY—Royal High freshman girls’ volleyball player Tessa Watkins, left, with her friend Luke Piazza, who has Type 1 diabetes. Watkins raised more than $1,000 to fund juvenile diabetes research. Courtesy of Erica Watkins

ROYALTY—Royal High freshman girls’ volleyball player Tessa Watkins, left, with her friend Luke Piazza, who has Type 1 diabetes. Watkins raised more than $1,000 to fund juvenile diabetes research. Courtesy of Erica Watkins

Tessa Watkins wanted to use her platform as a student-athlete to help kids in need.

Watkins, a Royal High freshman on the junior varsity girls’ volleyball team, noticed the boys’ volleyball team organizing Royal Cares fundraisers the past few years. Watkins was determined to bring a similar project to the girls’ team.

The 14-year-old approached Kristine Connolly, head coach of the girls’ varsity team, with the idea of raising money for juvenile diabetes, also known as Type 1 diabetes. The disease affects about 3 million Americans, according to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“I don’t think very many people are familiar with (juvenile diabetes), so they set it up,” Connolly said. “Tessa was great. She really took the whole thing on her shoulders to set it up. It was awesome.”

Watkins said she chose the cause to raise awareness about a disease her friend, Luke Piazza, has long dealt with. Piazza, a fellow freshman, plays water polo and baseball at Royal. The two became friends as first-graders at Madera Elementary School.

“I just wanted to help him and people like him who have diabetes,” Watkins said.

Watkins, with the help of her mother, Erica, raised $1,137 through T-shirt sales and donations.

“It felt great,” Watkins said. “I honestly didn’t think we’d raise that much, then my mom told me that we raised over a thousand dollars. I was shocked.”

Watkins, the younger sister of Royal boys’ volleyball junior Kyle Watkins, said the outpouring of support was heartwarming.

“There were so many people that helped with the fundraiser,” she said. “I want to do more next year.”

Jonathan Andrade