If you know Kenisha Goyal, you know she doesn’t just “kind of” do anything. Whether it’s wrestling, lifeguarding or student council, she gives everything her all. No shortcuts and no excuses.
She only started wrestling in Grade 11 after some friendly peer pressure. At first, it was just something different from swimming, which she had done since she was nine months old. However, after getting knocked down flat during her first practice, she realized how much there was to learn. She liked that. She liked the challenge.
“I missed having a team,” she said. “And in wrestling, you have that. You’re pushed by everyone around you.”
It didn’t take long before she started competing seriously. She trained hard, often going straight from practice to her job as a lifeguard and aquatic instructor. On top of that, she spent two years on the student activity council and kept her grades up. Now, she’s heading to the University of Guelph for a competitive co-op program in genetics and will be competing on the wrestling team in Guelph.
She mentions that part like it’s no big deal.
“Yeah, I made the Guelph wrestling team yesterday.”
Goyal is big on planning. She’s a visual learner who lives by her colour-coded Google Calendar. Every task, class, and shift has its spot.
“It’s not that I have more hours in the day,” she explained. “I just plan better.”
Her parents helped shape her mindset. Her mom, incredibly driven, raised two kids while managing her career and still made time to support everything Goyal signed up for. Her dad kept things simple: “If you commit to something, follow through.”
That advice stuck. Even during finals week or after back-to-back shifts, quitting was never an option.
“I signed myself up for that. Why would I quit? I should’ve known better.”
Being a woman in a male-dominated sport has never been easy for Goyal. She’s used to people underestimating her or making assumptions about what she can do. Yet, instead of backing down, she destroys every one of them in the ring.
Outside of sports and school, Goyal finds it hard to make space for her other interests. She writes when she has time, listens to Soundgarden and Don Toliver, and loves the book Daisy Jones & The Six. She used to draw and paint often but says there just aren’t enough hours in the day. If you ask Mr. Chagani about her, he’ll probably bring up their shared inside jokes, including some about the band System of a Down.
Goyal wouldn’t change any of it.
“I’m doing what I love,” she said. “And I know it’ll pay off.” (Which it did).
THE NORTH STAR 