As her graduation from Spartanburg High School approached Nathaly Hansana had inquiries from college coaches all over the country.  She had an incredible academic record and was a cheerleader for the Vikings but it was her skills on the lacrosse field that they were fuming over.  The coach at Converse University had one thing that set his program apart, the ability to keep Nathaly at home in Spartanburg.

Nathaly Hansana was born in Spartanburg, SC but traces her roots to Banh Chomchaeng, Laos which is outside of Vientiane.  In the Southeast corner of the town lies a tight-nit Lao-American community near the former WWII-era Camp Croft Army Training Center, now Croft State Park.  At the heart of the neighborhood of modest single-family homes and low-rise apartments is the Wat Lao Spartanburg and the adjacent Lao Associate of Spartanburg Community center.  Nathaly grew up in Camp Croft amongst a large extended family enjoying the many celebrations and badminton torments held at the community center.  Her father is a production lead at the nearby Parker Hannifin seal factory (formerly JBL Corp) which is just a few blocks from the temple complex.  

While attending Spartanburg High School Nathaly joined the Vikings cheerleading squad and Women’s Lacrosse team.  She quickly became a stand-out on the field and her impact on the Vikings lacrosse program caught the eye of several schools. She ultimately signed with her hometown school, Converse University.  The Valkyries compete at the NCAA Division II level and Nathaly is believed to be the first Lao-American to play lacrosse in college at either the D1 or DII level.  She is the daughter of Inpanh and NagFah Hansana.