Senior Stories: Emerson, Chasing Time
Emerson is a 5-time LA Marathon finisher with El Sereno Middle School and Bravo High School, and he also served as the captain of his SRLA team. Emerson earned the SRLA Scholarship for his efforts throughout his long tenure in SRLA.
Since I first considered joining SRLA in the 7th Grade, I was conflicted with the inability to get home following the afterschool practice runs. Due to this issue, I did not join SRLA in the 7th Grade, despite my love for running. I was saddened by missing out on the opportunity to run the marathon in the first year that I was eligible, but when 8th Grade came around I knew I needed to find a way to run. I spoke to El Sereno Middle School’s coaches, and Ms. Jackie was kindful enough to drive me home after practices. Once I knew I had a way to get home, I was determined to finish my first marathon in March.
Emerson showing off multiple marathon and challenge medals after the 2022 Los Angeles Marathon.
There is nothing I dread more than losing an opportunity. Entering Bravo High School, I was determined to join the STAR program (to work in a USC laboratory) and run another marathon. On the first day of school, I wore my Students Run LA sweater, which caught the attention of a Cross Country senior. He immediately recruited me to join the Bravo Cross Country and SRLA team without question, and I found a sense of belonging at Bravo as a freshman. Joining Bravo's Cross Country & SRLA team has impacted my life in the most positive way possible. After being a team member for three years at Bravo, I gained confidence, learned to be vocal, and developed a strong work ethic.
Most importantly, I met Bravo's kindest, friendliest, most knowledgeable students that I continue to remain good friends with since freshman year. I planned to be on the Cross Country & Track and SRLA team for all four years of high school, but a schedule conflict occurred during my senior year since Cross Country & Track is during the 6th period, and the STAR program is only during the 5th and 6th periods (Bravo has 6-period school days). Mr. Russell, the Cross Country & Track and SRLA Coach, and I discussed many possible plans to find a way to be in both the Bravo SRLA team and the STAR program class periods, but there was not a plausible solution. Unfortunately, I am not on the Cross Country & Track Team for my senior year due to my scheduling conflict for the 6th period. STAR was undoubtedly an opportunity I could not miss out on because of the chance to work in a laboratory setting as a high school student, an opportunity only ten California schools offer. Despite the conflict, I continue to support my Cross Country team at competitions and participate in their practices whenever possible. While I may not be in the 6th-period Cross Country class, I will always belong to the Bravo Cross Country & Track and SRLA family.
“There is nothing I dread more than losing an opportunity. ”
While the issue proved that I do not have all the time in the world to do everything, I found an alternative to this issue by returning to El Sereno Middle School’s SRLA team to continue my goal of completing my 5th LA Marathon. I spoke to the El Sereno SRLA team; Ms. Jackie and Ms. Neal-Peters, my coaches during my 8th Grade SRLA season welcomed me back with open arms. My friends that ran with me in 8th Grade, such as Armando, Erick, Rocio, Jocelyn, Oliver, and Juan were also on the El Sereno SRLA team as high schoolers due to the strong and tightly knit family that we have made. Running with the El Sereno SRLA team brought back the greatest memories I had as an 8th Grader, and the best part was being able to run and prepare for this year’s marathon with my best friend I made in SRLA in 8th Grade and best friend now, Armando. While I did miss my Bravo friends, they were always more than happy to have me join their weekend long runs and winter break runs when it did not conflict with the El Sereno practicing schedule. Not only did I run at both El Sereno and Bravo practices, but I got to spend time with the friends that I’ve made through SRLA from my entire 5-year marathon journey.
Contributing to both El Sereno and Bravo’s SRLA team was a lot to handle, but I truly valued the positive and challenging experiences that I earned out of doing so. In addition, I met many new faces by running with both teams. At El Sereno, I met the current 7th and 8th Graders that are preparing for their 1st or 2nd marathon, much like how I did when I went to El Sereno. And at Bravo, I met freshman and students that wanted to run in SRLA for the first time. I was able to offer my advice for both the new El Sereno and Bravo runners for each run. Not only did we talk about how to make the best out of our run and how to prepare for the marathon, but I was also able to offer my advice for school and managing my time. I was able to create new bonds with new runners and maintain the friendships and relationships with coaches and parents through this decision I made.
“Through my commitment with SRLA, I learned to make important decisions for the better and to value and prioritize what means the most to me, happiness and growth. ”
This year, at all the SRLA races, I was able to run with both my El Sereno friends and Bravo friends. Also, I was welcome to both the El Sereno and Bravo tent after each race to say “Hi!” to all the parents, and of course, to get food after a long run. Through my commitment with SRLA, I learned to make important decisions for the better and to value and prioritze what means the most to me, happiness and growth. I’ve learned to improve my communication and to be a leader for the community around me. Most importantly, I learned to form bonds that last a lifetime with a positive and encouraging mindset. There will be many more marathons to come for me as I enter college. I plan to continue running with the friends I’ve made in middle school and high school, while making new friends that may be interested in running 26.2 miles.
Long-lasting memories and everlasting friendships were the most significant takeaways from running in SRLA for the past 5 years. The amazing people I have met and the experiences I’ve had in SRLA have allowed me to find extreme importance in developing friendships, making the most out of my time, and having a positive mindset even in the most challenging times. Not only have I had an unforgettable experience in SRLA, but I realized that I have a positive impact on those around me and on those that I try to be role models for.
Emerson during Mile 26 of the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon.
When I first joined SRLA at El Sereno Middle School in 8th Grade, I only had two friends that were also running. Everyone else that joined that year was people I had seen in the halls but never talked to before. Dynamics would change immediately after our first weekend-long run. I became best friends with Armando Valencia and Erick Tovar. During peaceful runs, we were absorbed by our own conversations about the music we like listening to and catching up on our recent lives. Through the hours and miles we spent together, we developed trust and camaraderie that wouldn’t have happened without running. In addition, the coach of our running group was Ms. Neal-Peters. All three of us connected her to our conversations as well as she gave us insight from her own experiences and offered advice about our future. We all joked around and made each other laugh even when we were running in the rain as it distracted us from our wet socks. While I usually ran with Armando, Erick, and Ms. Neal-Peters, it didn’t stop me from making friends outside of that group. The rest of the El Sereno SRLA team was also my family as we cheered on each other when we crossed paths during our runs. We talked just as much after runs as we cheered on finishers, and we stretched together. When the marathon approached, Armando, Erick, and I crossed the finish line together to complete our 1st LA Marathon! The experience I had in SRLA during my 8th Grade was memorable nonetheless; I wanted to experience the challenge again and the journey that comes with it.
Heading into my freshman year at Bravo High School, I didn’t have any running friends from El Sereno. Both Erick and Armando went to Wilson High School, but that didn’t stop us from running on the weekends and during breaks on our own time despite going to different schools. I definitely wanted to join Bravo’s SRLA team as I was more than happy to make new friends at my new school. I walked into Bravo on Freshman Orientation Day wearing my SRLA 2019 Marathon Finisher sweater. Before I stepped into the front doorway, a Bravo senior, Bryan Son, immediately noticed my sweater and recommended me to join the Bravo Cross Country team and SRLA team. His enthusiastically warm welcome made me satisfied that I can find belonging with this new team. I attended Bravo’s summer practices 3 times a week and I formed a group with other freshmen that did the 2019 Marathon like I did. I met Christian Trujillo, Brandon Hernandez, Jorge Meza, Fabrizzio Romero, Brayan Gonzalez, and Kevin Francisco. We were from 4 different middle schools, but we clicked immediately and our coach, Mr. Russell, acknowledged, “This is the strongest freshman group” he has seen and we “have a bright future ahead.” He was right as we all ran in SRLA every year in high school. We continued to run even during the pandemic and finished a marathon together at Griffith Park in 2021. While running with masks on, we endured such a difficult time which was a testament to our dedication and our motivating teamwork. From waking up in the early morning to finishing runs in the searing heat, we ran together, which overcame any feeling of pain or tiredness.
In my senior year of high school, I was faced with making the difficult decision of continuing Bravo Cross Country and SRLA or working at a lab at USC. I didn’t want to lose either option and it was not feasible for me to do both. Ultimately, I decided to work at the lab at USC, but it did not mean I would be leaving the Bravo running family. I attended their afterschool practices when I was available and continued to cheer them on during their runs. Since I was not able to be on the Bravo SRLA team, I joined back to my middle school team at El Sereno to continue my love for running. And there, I reconnected with Armando, Erick, Rocio, Jocelyn, Natalia, Leilani, Juan, Oliver, and my middle school coaches from my original 8th Grade team. It felt just as it was 4 years ago as we continued our conversations and caught up with each other. I was able to run the SRLA races with both my El Sereno family and my Bravo family.
Most importantly, this year I noticed the impact I can offer through running. I have motivated middle school runners to run faster than they thought they could. I motivated my friends to keep running even when they do not feel like it. Through the cramps, I found significance in motivating and encouraging everyone around me as they do for me when I struggle. This year’s SRLA season, during my senior year, culminated my running career in high school and was by far one to remember, but it is definitely not the end of my running adventures. This year, I finished the 2023 LA Marathon (my fifth marathon) with Armando and Erick just like how it all started.
“Through the cramps, I found significance in motivating and encouraging everyone around me as they do for me when I struggle. ”