April 2, 2026
Tavares Senior Naliah Wesley Named Lake County Youth District’s Volunteer of the Year
By Kyle Coppola
Tavares Senior Naliah Wesley Named Lake County Youth District’s Volunteer of the Year
Naliah Wesley is a Tavares High School senior who has spent four years volunteering at Tavares elementary school including assisting in a kindergarten classroom and working concessions at athletic events. Due to her ongoing efforts, Naliah has been named the Lake County Youth District’s Volunteer of the Year.
Naliah is a member of the school’s Teaching Academy and the Florida Future Educators Association. She will be honored at a banquet on April 28.
Naliah has volunteered at Tavares Elementary School throughout her high school career. As a senior completing the Principles of Teaching course, she is earning required volunteer hours by assisting kindergarten teacher Ms. Wittman, a role she hopes to emulate one day in her own classroom. She also provides after-school childcare for K-5 families during Parent Teacher Organization and School Advisory Council meetings and works concessions at basketball, baseball and softball games. Naliah enjoys building connections with families and peers.
Her commitment to teaching stems in part from her mother, a teacher at a school for students with special needs. Naliah plans to attend Lake-Sumter State College for two years before transferring to the University of Central Florida to earn a degree in early childhood education. She envisions a future that blends education and entrepreneurship: working in education while also working in real estate.
Naliah credited Opal “Doc” Mahoney, who leads the Tavares Teaching Academy. A few years ago, Doc was named Tavares High School’s Teacher of the Year. She has worked tirelessly, pushing Naliah to reach her potential and build up her confidence.
When asked about how she would persuade others to join The Tavares teaching academy, Naliah says “it’s not just about learning to teach; it’s about learning to lead, communicate and grow. Students gain real-world experience working with children, develop transferable skills and form meaningful connections.”
She described the program as transformative, strengthening her leadership skills and encouraging her to step outside her comfort zone while emphasizing patience, kindness and compassion.
When she is not studying, Naliah plays clarinet and guitar and values time with her family. She also offers advice to incoming freshmen: “High school passes quickly, so enjoy the journey, make lasting memories and stay focused on academics,” she says. Her favorite high school memory is Homecoming 2025, spent with her sister.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
