After breaking a leg, most people just want to go in the house and mope around. For Alaysia Smith, that wasn’t an option.
“All she wanted to do was go get some tacos and watch videos of the rest of the cheerleading contest,” said her cousin Dezeray Jones. “You woulda thought it was a normal day.”
Alaysia, who everybody called Layy, grew up in a quiet neighborhood of North Philadelphia, where she learned to be bold and express herself. She always had an excitement for being seen and made sure she would stand out anywhere she went.
Layy wasn’t just any teenager. From the moment she entered elementary school, her brightness was unmistakable, not just in academics, where she consistently earned all A’s and B’s, but in the way she carried herself. Teachers often remarked she had an “old soul,” the kind that made adults forget they were talking to someone barely into her teens. She was curious, respectful and articulate, often staying after class not because she had to, but because she genuinely wanted to learn more.
Her mother, Ayla Bruce, said she was just special.
“She could pick up things so easily and always was confident in her abilities,” Ayla said. “There wasn’t nothing she couldn’t do.”
A presence in her neighborhood, many recalled seeing her always smiling and having fun. She knew how to be respectful to her elders while also having younger people gravitate to her.
“She was like a sister to everyone,” said Mrs. Hernandez, a longtime resident who recalls how other kids looked up to Alaysia like a big sister. “She had a way of bringing calm to chaos. If kids were fighting, she wouldn’t hesitate to break it up.”
At school, Layy was a standout at Wissahickon Charter School not only in her grades but in leadership. She was the head captain of her cheerleading team for the BlackHawks Youth Cheerleading team. Her sense of responsibility was far beyond her years. Teachers trusted her to lead classroom discussions, parents trusted her with their toddlers and classmates trusted her with their secrets.
Her cheerleading coach, Ericka Boston, recalled a strong spirit. ”She stood out from day one and always made sure others took it as serious as she did,” Ericka said.
When she walked into a room, she didn’t seek attention but got it anyway. She had this natural magnetism. Perhaps it was her smile or maybe it was her empathy. She would sit with classmates who were bullied, bring extra snacks for kids who might not have had breakfast and even helped some of the kids with their homework assignments.
“She reminded me what it meant to hope,” said Ms. Carter, her homeroom teacher. “When you teach for a long time, certain students just stick out to you and Alyasia was definitely one of those students, always bringing positivity to the classroom.”
Layy’s life was taken away from her after she was killed in a house shooting on the 2800 block of North Bailey Street on September 18, 2024. The loss was felt by everyone in the community as days later the neighborhood held a vigil in her memory.
Whether she was on stage cheering, or hanging with friends, Layy always made her presence known. She was unapologetically herself and it made others love her for it. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone else, she just was original.
She had wanted to be a pediatrician. She said it often, with that blend of sincerity and excitement that made it impossible to doubt. “Kids deserve someone who listens,” she once wrote in her personal essay. “Sometimes people don’t believe them just because they’re small. I want to help make them feel big.”
In 13 short years, Alyasia made others feel big. She made her block feel united. She made her school feel warm. She made her community feel like it could be better and then she helped make it so.
