This feature originally appeared in the 2023 Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
 

Pressure doesn't always create diamonds.
 
Identical twin sisters Amaya and Anysa Gray of the California women's soccer team were exposed to the dangers of growing up in a disadvantaged area of East Palo Alto. Their father was incarcerated when the twins were still very young and they were raised by a single mother, Ajené White. After being evicted from their home, they went on to experience a bout of homelessness, moving around and sleeping on couches.
 
Needless to say, stability was not something the Grays experienced from a young age. That was until soccer came into their lives.
 
"[Soccer] kept us focused," Anysa Gray said. "It kept us on track and was the most stable thing in our lives. Despite moving around all the time and not having the best home stability, we always found ways to get to practice. The soccer piece has always been consistent when other things usually weren't."
 
Soccer also brought a handful of folks into the twins' lives, giving them a sense of community that they still interact with today. Folks such as their godmother, Margueritte Aozasa, who is the head coach of the reigning national champion UCLA women's soccer team; and Albertin Montoya, who was their coach from age 6 to 16.
 
"We have known [Aozasa] since we were 5 years old and she has always been a role model for us," Amaya Gray said. "Although our mom has always been there for us, I don't think she could understand soccer on the same level, because she never played.
 
"[Montoya] has been our rock through all of this. He stepped up as a father figure when we didn't have one. Our mom understood that we connected with both of them because of our love for soccer. They taught us how to love the game and how to play. Our mom did everything she could for us, but it truly takes a village. We're so thankful for those two and could not have done it without them."
 
While the soccer community played a huge part in raising the Grays into the strong, young Black women they are today, they've had one longstanding relationship that predates their involvement in the sport - the one that began in the womb. As identical twins, the Grays shared their journeys together and have leaned on each other through it all.
 
"I couldn't live without [Amaya]," Anysa Gray said. "The way our lives were, there's just no way. God absolutely knew what he was doing when he made us twins. The thing that kept us going was that we were both going through the same stuff, and we always had each other."
 
"Exactly," Amaya Gray agreed. "We hold each other accountable, and that aspect has always been motivating. And we always know what the other one is thinking. That's how close we are."
 
Being able to lean on each other, the sport of soccer, and the community the sport presented to them helped get the Grays through a childhood full of adversity. But the hardship followed them well into their adolescence.
 
While attending Woodside Priory High School, they lived in a crowded household with four generations of their family all living in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home. It was difficult for them to find a place to sleep or study so they would arrive at school before sunrise each day and sleep on the tables of the cafeteria. To ensure they could eat, the Grays worked in the cafeteria as kitchen assistants.
 
As the freshmen began college, they were forced to deal with the loss of the sport that provided them a stable and consistent outlet, and their mental health suffered. When soccer returned in the spring of 2021, Anysa suffered a kick to the head in just her second collegiate game. The impact left her with a concussion that rendered her unable to focus for seven months.
 
"Mental health is something that's always been really important for me," Anysa Gray said. "It's absolutely a priority because it affects everything else. You can't expect to be right physically if you're not mentally healthy."
 
Over the last year and a half, the Grays have found other outlets and support systems that have helped them not only continue their journey, but also gain the courage to share their story in hopes that it will help other young people in similar situations.
 
"We attended a Black student-athlete summit a couple years ago and now we go every year," Amaya Gray said. "Black people need that sense of community - to be in Black spaces with other intelligent, successful Black people. I love to come back to campus and share the tools that I learned there, and advocate for people to sign up. I think every Black student-athlete needs to have an opportunity like that. The first one we went to, I truly felt that my life changed for the better. It inspired me by showing me that everyone has a story to tell so we should share ours."
 
The courage to tell their story led to the Grays winning the CalHope Courage Award, which recognizes two student-athletes at California colleges and universities for overcoming the stress, anxiety and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. They were presented with the award on the field at Oracle Park ahead of a San Francisco Giants home game and a donation in their name was made to Therapy For Black Girls – a nonprofit organization that encourages the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
 
According to Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas, Cal's Associate Athletic Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging & Justice, the Grays' story will benefit others that have walked the same path.
 
"Amaya and Anysa Gray are a daily embodiment of courage and perseverance," Dr. Douglas said. "It's not just their journey that is inspiring; it's their willingness to share their journey toward the uplift of others that's most powerful to me. To see them persist and prevail at Cal and beyond is to see the triumph of generations in their family and the support of the Cal women's soccer program."
 
The Grays have also found peace with Islam. As young Muslim women, they have found incredible strength and patience through trying times.
 
"Strengthening my relationship with Allah has brought me so much peace and has truly helped me keep my head on straight," Anysa Gray said. "Studying the Quran, attending Jum'ah, and fasting for Ramadan is so important to us. It humbles us and helps us realize that Allah has a plan, and the plan is perfect. I find comfort in that."