LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kaelin Hall heads to Simmons College of Kentucky's campus on 4th Street each day on a mission.

After a standout basketball career at Moore High School in Louisville, Hall turned to the streets and joined a gang.

"I was in the streets because I lacked love somewhere," Hall said.

He admitted he didn't find that love in the streets. But one day, there was a wake-up call. On March 8, 2016, he was shot several times, leaving him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. He said it was the second time he'd been shot in six months.

"I think that's when it sunk in," he said. "It's really time to get it together."

Hall said he was part of a gang, and the outcomes weren't much better for its other members.

Kaelin Hall

Kaelin Hall sits in a class at Simmons College of Kentucky. April 20, 2023. (WDRB Photo)

"Most are dead," he said. "... dead, jail or some of them have lost their damn mind. ... Seriously."

Since being shot, Hall has changed his life, his friends and his surroundings. And on Sunday, Simmons President Dr. Kevin Cosby introduced Hall at an annual fundraiser.

"Kaelin is not a victim of gun violence. ... He's a victor in spite of gun violence," Cosby said. 

Hall is just a freshman, but he does have a degree from the school of hard knocks, and that prompted Cosby's next move.

"To be an effective messenger for any cause, it is best if you have in some way experience what you're talking about," Cosby said. "And who better to tell the story and convince people — not only about the dire consequences of violence but what to do to move beyond it — than Kaelin."

At that fundraiser Sunday, Cosby offered Hall a job, to be an ambassador for Simmons and try to reach potential students in the community. Hall accepted and will be paid by Simmons, something that he's proud will help his family at home.

"That's going to really change for me and my daughter and help us live life a little better," he said.

Most stories about gangs and shootings don't have a positive outcome, but Hall is determined to make a difference.

"I came in to really rebuild what I was breaking," he said.

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