Senior Stories: Susana, Going the Extra Mile
Susana is a 4-time SRLA runner from PUC Community High School. As the captain of her team and for her time put into SRLA, Susana was awarded the SRLA Scholarship!
I go to a small high school where I don’t have the same opportunities as other schools. Some of the challenges my school is currently facing are offering advanced placement classes for students and finding permanent teachers for classes like math, English, Spanish, etc. Even though these challenges have affected me academically, I have tried to make the most of what I am offered and look for a way to receive the best education possible for these classes.
Susana after the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon receiving her SRLA finisher hoodie.
When I started my junior year, my classes were already planned out, however, the only Spanish teacher who taught AP Spanish left before the school year started. Since there wasn't a teacher the school had to remove the class, therefore leaving me short of one year of the language category. I was struggling to find another pathway that I could possibly take to complete my second year of Spanish to meet my A-G requirements. I was stressing and complaining that I would be falling behind and no one was there to help me. I felt like I was alone because as everyone else was on track with the requirements, I wasn’t. I later informed my former SRLA leader about my situation, and that I was even considering dropping one of my extracurricular activities to figure out a solution. She reminded me that I’m not alone and to never be afraid to reach out because we’re all in this together. She also reminded me of the SRLA motto “everyone goes at their own pace, but in the end finishes.” She was saying that I shouldn’t worry too much because everyone is going to complete their requirements no matter what path or pace they choose to go. Miss Valenzuela informed me that there were two other girls in the same position as me, and without a college counselor to give us advice, she recommended a possible solution that could help me reach my goal of completing three years of Spanish. As a result, I would have to take a Spanish class at Los Angeles Mission College, in order to fulfill my requirements. SRLA has helped me remember that in any type of situation I am in, I’m never alone and that I should never be afraid to reach out for the help that I need. This was the most significant challenge that I faced since I had to go out of my way to sign up for a college class over the summer with other college students. Navigating a new system as a junior was very difficult since I was doing this all by myself. Although it was an intimidating moment, I overcame this challenge by seeking help from my fellow peers, going to office hours, and advocating for myself. At the end of the course, I ended up getting an A. This has taught me to continue preserving and going the extra mile despite the obstacles that I may face in academia.
Throughout my four years of dedication to Students Run LA, I ran four marathons, one for each grade level, and was proud of completing my fourth one. Even if I was the only student from my grade level, I still stuck to it. My first year in SRLA holds a special place in my heart because I had found a place full of laughter and motivation. Since SRLA is a mix of all grade level students, I was able to meet new people that helped me get out of my comfort zone and be an extrovert. During that season, I had the best team captain and co-captain that have influenced me to become the leader I am in SRLA and in general. In my sophomore year, I ran a marathon virtually, due to COVID-19 which is harder than expected because you are running by yourself with no one by the sidelines to motivate you like the actual marathon. I cared about my teammates and I wanted to help feel less alone in this journey. During this time, I would help arrange some training practice together to motivate my fellow classmates. When we came back from virtually learning in my junior year of high school, our SRLA coach left us, leaving the program in a disorganized manner. Being the student with the most experience, I had to step up and assist in leading the team in long runs, and stretches, but also educating others about the importance of our nutrition and ways we can better fuel our body’s before long runs, especially when it came down to the LA Marathon. A huge part of my role was to encourage them to give back to the community which is part of our charity in SRLA. Sometimes during the school year, I would have to organize a weekend run and send out reminders to our families to come out to support us during our races or our training. If one of my teammates were feeling injured and in pain during one of the races or practices, I would stay with them and encourage them to continue going, because I believe that they can do it. Being a runner and captain of SRLA has made me view life from a different perspective. Every year I always mention to new runners the analogy that life is like a marathon, you’ll reach a point in life that will get tough but you have to persevere through the hardships in order to achieve your goal. SRLA is never about speed, but about the distance one is willing to achieve.
“SRLA is never about speed, but about the distance one is willing to achieve.”