Samuel: I became a Different Person

Hello there! My name is Samuel and I am a senior a Port of Los Angeles High School. I have been running with SRLA since 2015 and since then I have run 4 marathons.

Ever since I was young, I have always loved to run and when I saw the opportunity to run a marathon with Students Run LA, I could not let that opportunity slide past me. I joined and earned a spot in SRLA. It was a bit complicated at first because I couldn’t run for a long time, and I was slow. I had serious difficulties in the beginning. But as time went on, I learned that I was able to get the hang of running a lot of miles, and I began to pick up the pace.

As the years went on, I became a different person. I began as a shy quiet person, and by my senior year I become this popular kid that everyone knew. I’m proud to say that I can set high standards for myself and I can reach them no matter what level of difficulty. SRLA taught me to have more confidence in myself as well. Now I realize that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but being afraid to ask is a sign of weakness. I leave SRLA as a different person than when I first came in. SRLA was by far the best experience I have ever had in my life. Now I will be moving onto college, as well as studying in another country, and I am nowhere near scared because I got all the confidence I need. Without SRLA, I would have no idea where I would be. That is the story that I have with SRLA.

Make a donation in honor of Samuel and his teammates today.