Meet the Sportsmen’s Marathon Team

What do you do with your day? Are you employed, a student, retired?
Depending on what day of the week it is, you can find me at Northeastern University in my last semester as a biochemistry major and a philosophy minor – or at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a part-time medical assistant!

After 5pm, I take pride in being involved in a variety of extracurriculars from holding leadership roles in public health and civic engagement related student organizations, being an active member in club running, and volunteering at Volley Against Violence. All these opportunities have given me the chance to meet some incredible people, explore my passion for health justice, and grow as a leader in my community.

How long have you been running?
I have been running for about 10 years now! Believe it or not, I was a hurdler and a heptathlete up until about 4 years ago when the pandemic hit and I started transitioning into distance running.

What made you want to run for Sportsmen’s?
“Tennis is just the tip of the iceberg at Sportsmen’s,” Mary Long said when I first met her, and since then I have seen how true it is!

I wanted to run for team Sportsmen’s because I am inspired by their holistic approach to youth empowerment and community development. The free programming at Sportsmen’s – from tutoring, to tennis lessons, to community health campaigns and beyond – seeks to address the barriers to healthy living at many levels, and the team only has even bigger visions for the future!

As an aspiring doctor, I know how important it is to offer resources like Sportsmen’s to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status, race, identity, or anything else.

If you could time travel back anywhere – where would it be? And why?
If I could travel back in time, I would probably go to Ancient Greece to take philosophy lessons from Socrates himself. Ancient Greek Philosophy was the first philosophy course I took in college and ever since then, I have wondered what it would be like to live among the fathers of philosophy and be a part of the revolution that gave rise to the discipline.

Who is your favorite athlete of all time? And why are they your favorite?
Allyson Felix is my favorite athlete of all time, simply because she made me fall in love with the sport! As a young runner, I would watch her dominate all the short sprints every time the summer olympics rolled around. However, as I grew up watching her journey, I learned about how much adversity she faced in her career. Despite dealing with health issues and losing contracts, she continued to get back out on the track and break records. In her last race, she ran in shoes that were from the company she created, representing her own business and leaving a legacy of empowerment for female athletes.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? And why?
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would have to be my grandfather who passed away when I was young.

Not only did he serve in the Navy for his entire career, but he had the reputation for being one of the kindest and most caring people to all those who had the pleasure to meet him. As I have tried to learn as much as possible from those who knew him, I have always wondered what it would be like to sit down with him and hear first-hand about the joys of his life.

Why should someone support your run?
Every Friday at Volley Against Violence, the coaches ask the athletes to consider one big question. I sit down on the court with a group of usually around 8 kids, and listen to them talk about their dreams and aspirations– they want to be doctors, firefighters, professional athletes– and I am reminded of how anything was possible at that age.

In 7th grade, I made a list of 100 goals and dreams I had for my life and running the Boston Marathon was at the top. So when I found out I would be running this year for Team Sportsmen’s, I was brought back to that childlike wonder. Now, I am running to show these young athletes that anything is possible.

Whether you contribute to my campaign or the campaign of one of my teammates, a donation to Sportsmen’s is an investment in the future of Boston’s youth.

Anything last words you wish to share?
A fun fact about me is that I have lived in 7 different states! One of my favorite places to live was Newton, MA so I have always considered the Boston area to be home which is why I decided to go to Northeastern. The last 3.5 years living in Boston have been full of Celtics games, runs on the Charles River, trips to the North End, and enjoying the life of a New Englander!