Kyla Ward is currently a Sophomore at New York City School of The Arts and a former Port Charles High student. she first appeared in season 5. her mother moved her to Port Charles from Miami for her job. Kyla made her first appearance auditioning as a dancer for the school musical where she meets new friend Kenzie Ford. The two become close and form a friendship that lasts for a year until a video of them dancing to Superbass goes viral and Kyla is invited to go to New York City School of The Arts and not Kenzie, Kyla is being raised by a single mother and is African-American where Kenzie is raised by two parents in a well off neighborhood and is white. Kyla is the daughter of Maya Ward and doesn't know any of her family. it is just her and her mother and that's the way they want it to be.
Early Life
Kyla grew up in Dade County in Miami with a single mom working two jobs. When Kyla was four her mom went to nursing school to better provide for them. Growing up she enjoyed going to the beach and taking dance classes. For a long time she was told her father was one of the few Marines killed in Operation Desert Storm, but instead he was a gang member in California and her mother moved to Miami while pregnant to get away from him.
In The Series
Season 5
Kyla and Kenzie at the musical auditions after seeing Meghan attempt to sing.
5.09 All I Need To Be Kyla makes her first appearance auditioning for the musical as a dancer where she meets fellow dancer Kenzie Ford. Kyla explains she and her mom just moved from Miami and the two form a friendship.
5.12 The Day That Saved Us Kyla is seen at rehearsal with Kenzie.
5.13 Seventeen Ain't So Sweet Kyla is seen at rehearsal with Kenzie
5.18 Broken Mirrors Kyla is seen in the musical.
Season 6
6.03 I Wanna Be Weightless Kyla is seen on the first day of school talking to Kenzie.
Kyla explains to Kenzie that something isn't right with the story her mother told her.
6.05 Story of My Life Kyla is at home while her mom is at work when there is a knock on the door. Kyla answers it and a man she hasn't seen before is on the other side, Kyla tells him she isn't interested in what he is selling. The man claims he isn't a salesman and asks if she is Kyla Ward. Kyla asks what's it to him and the man claims he is her father. Kyla is in shock before telling him to leave before she calls the cops. Kyla closes the door and locks it before leaving out of the back and heading to the dance studio in town where Kenzie is currently taking classes. Just as Kenzie is getting out of class she notices Kyla looking distraught and asks her what's going on. Kyla explains the situation before telling Kenzie that her mom told her that her dad died in the first gulf war, one of the few Marine's killed in Desert Storm. It does not make sense for some guy to come by her place and tell her that. Kenzie tells her the best thing she can do is talk to her mother about it. Kenzie also explains that she can look up the names of those killed during Desert Storm online. Kyla leaves and heads home before going onto the internet and finding a database with the names of those killed in the Gulf War. She finds her father's name isn't on the list for both Desert Storm or Desert Shield.
6.10 She's A Rebel At school Kenzie asks Kyla if she talked to her mom yet. Kyla tells her she hasn't and has been just trying to wrap her head around the situation. Kyla goes home that night and before her mom leaves for work Kyla asks why a man came to the door claiming to be her father when her dad died in Desert Storm. Maya tells her that the guy probably has mental health issues. Kyla then confronts her with the fact that she looked online in one of the databases with the names of casualties from wars. There was no John Williams on that list. She then demands answers. Maya asks her to sit down and explains to Kyla that she got pregnant with her during a part of her life she isn't proud of. She was bartending at a bar in Oakland run by the 1-9ers, a local gang. She had a relationship with a guy named Tyler Yost. She discovered she was pregnant when he went to jail for illegal gun charges. She decided to straighten out her life so she had her, went to nursing school and moved them to Miami, out of the 1-9er's reach. He must have recently gotten out and decided to violate his parole by looking for her. Kyla is furious and leaves. Maya calls out to her she did it because he is dangerous. Kyla goes straight to Kenzie and tells her what happened. Kenzie does her best to try to listen.
Season 7
7.02 Don't Let Me Get Me Kyla is still mad at her mother for lying but trying to see her point-of-view knowing you don't want your child to know their father is a gangster. Kenzie does her best to be there for her. Kyla is walking home from school with Kenzie when she notices someone following them in the back windshield of a car they pass. Kenzie asks Kyla what she is staring at and Kyla brushes it off before continuing the walk to Kelly's with Kenzie. When the two go their separate ways after studying Kyla notices the man again and recognizes him as her father. Kyla goes home and locks the doors before calling her mom who tells Kyla to call the police. Kyla does so and Brooke and Dante arrive. Kyla explains the situation and tells them that she wants nothing to do with him and neither does Maya. Brooke stays with Kyla until Maya arrives and Brooke tells her that the best she can do is get a restraining order but in order to do that she has to go to the courthouse and explain why. When Maya tells Brooke the story, Brooke tells her a judge will likely grant it, especially since he isn't supposed to even be in the state.
7.09 Won't Back Down Kyla's father is served his restraining order and Maya tells her she shouldn't worry anymore. If he resurfaces he will be on the next plane back to California. Kyla feels a little better but still is worried about him possibly breaching it since according to her mother, he is a former gang member. Kyla goes back to her normal routine and goes to school and dance class with Kenzie. Maya is busy with work and unable to pick Kyla up and Starr offerers her a ride but Kyla tells her it's not too far of a walk to her place. Kenzie is iffy on letting Kyla walk alone but Kyla assures her she will be fine, if her father was smart, he would have gone back to California before his parole is revoked. Kyla starts her walk home and doesn't think much of it. She is two blocks from her apartment when she sees his reflection in the back of a car causing her to pause before making eye contact in the reflection. Kyla takes off
sprinting and doesn't look back but hears him coming after her calling her name. Kyla makes it to her apartment building and as she is opening the door he grabs her. Kyla tries to fight him off before realizing she doesn't need to fight in secret and starts screaming "Fire" knowing more people will pay attention then if she screams help. A few people stop and see what's going on, a man in his mid-twenties sees and comes over yelling to get away from her. Her father scurries off and the man asks Kyla if she is okay. Kyla nods before opening the door to her apartment building and rushing inside where she calls the police. Dante shows up and asks Kyla about what happened and Kyla explains. Maya arrives home from work and is in shock at what happened. Dante tells her they have an APB out for Tyler Yost for attempted kidnapping. The moment they find him, he will be sent back to California for parole violation and back to Stockton Prison where he just got out from. Kyla nods and is still scared so Dante tells her he will assign an officer to follow her around. Maya thanks Dante. Dante also tells her that she did well with yelling fire instead of help, it got more people's attention.
Kyla talks to Brot
7.11 Loyalty At It's Best Dante has Brot Monroe shadow Kyla as she goes two and from school and dance classes. Kyla starts asking him questions about his life, not wanting to feel like he is stalking her. Brot answers them, mostly about his life. She learns he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (which resulted in his facial scars) and has three kids, Emmett, Jenelle and Levi. Kyla makes conversation on how her mother had originally told her that her father had died in Desert Storm and wishes that she still had the image of a hero for a father, not a criminal. Brot tells her family is who you make it be. He tells her his dad was a great guy who loved him, but he didn't meet him until he was six, saying that his step-dad is the one he looks up to as a father. Although Maya never remarried, she should choose her family instead. Her best friend Kenzie really cares about her, see Kenzie as her family. Kyla is thankful for the conversation she has with Brot. She continues to go throughout her day and Brot walks her home from dance class and tells her he will stay outside if she needs anything. Kyla is thankful and gives him a hug. She heads inside. Once inside her apartment and heading into the kitchen she turns on the light to see her father. Kyla screams before he attacks her. Kyla fights back and her father tells her to stop, he just wants to talk. Kyla stops struggling and listens to her father talk about how all he ever wanted was to get to know her. When he isn't looking she grabs a glass on the counter and hits him over the head, stunning him. Kyla runs for the door and is able to make enough noise for Brot to come inside and shoot her father dead as he is about to attack again. Kyla screams at the sight. She is later outside waiting for her mother to arrive sitting with Brot as police go through the house. Kyla once again thanks Brot for helping. Maya shows up hysterical that she was almost killed. After talking to Kyla, the pair decide to go to Miami for the summer before the school year starts up again. Maya then thinks Brot for saving Kyla's life.
Season 8
8.03 End of the Dream Maya and Kyla pack and get ready to go to Miami for the summer. Kyla asks Maya if Kenzie can come since she is Kenzie's only friend and Kenzie was there for her during the whole ordeal with her dad. Maya agrees and Kyla invites Kenzie. Starr has a hard time letting Kenzie go but eventually agrees.
8.04 Together Again Kyla and Kenzie leave to Miami for the summer.
Season 9
Kenzie and Kyla look at the views of their viral video.
9.08 Make It Stop (Let This End) Kenzie and Kyla choreograph a routine to Jessie J's "Do It Like A Dude" for their dance class. They later decide to film it and upload it online. After performing it in class, they wait until everyone leaves and Kenzie films it a few times from different angles before editing and uploading it to Youtube and Facebook. The next day at school Kenzie comes up to her and shows her that they are trending on Twitter. The pair go into the computer lab and check Youtube and see they have over 10,000 views and it keeps growing. The pair are shocked and happy thinking people just enjoy the dance. That night, Kyla gets a call from Kenzie who tells her that someone is asking for the contact info of the "black dancer" in the video. Kyla assumes it's some weirdo so just tells Kenzie to give them her email. An hour later, Kyla gets an official email from the New York School of the Arts. They want to meet with her and discuss admittance on a full scholarship after an audition. The next day at school, Kyla explains this to Kenzie who was contacting her and what they wanted. After school, both she and Maya meet with an admittance supervisor who offers Kyla a full scholarship to the school. Kyla and Maya are shocked and she auditions at their studio dancing to Nicki Minaj's Super Bass. She is officially offered the scholarship and Kyla asks about Kenzie.
Kyla asks about Kenzie
The admittance supervisor tells her that they aren't looking for someone like Kenzie, but someone like Kyla. Kyla asks for clarification and she is told they are looking for a lower income student with extreme talent that if given the right resources, could flourish here. Kenzie is a white student coming from a two parent house. Kyla understands what she is saying and is hesitant to accept the offer, knowing Kenzie helped choreograph everything and edited the video to look better. Kyla accepts knowing what this could mean for her future. Kyla calls Kenzie and explains everything. The next day, Kenzie stops by Kyla's place and and tells her she is happy that she got this opportunity. Kyla told her she accepted it but can turn it down. Kenzie encourages Kyla to take the opportunity, knowing what it means to her. Kyla thanks Kenzie for being a great friend and always being there for her.
Trivia
Quotes
"What's it to you?" (Kyla to man claiming to be her father)