Catching Up with NYRR Run for the Future Alumnae

Since 2011, more than 500 amazing young women have taken part in NYRR Run for the Future. The program teaches running to 11th-grade girls who’ve never participated in organized sports, focusing on running technique, nutrition, and goal setting. At the end of seven weeks, each new runner comes away with a college scholarship and confidence and motivation to be active for life.

Learn more about NYRR Run for the Future.

We've launched an alumnae program so that Run for the Future graduates can reconnect, stay active through NYRR program offerings, and continue to inspire one another. The program includes a Facebook group and forums and workshops on topics including running/fitness, networking, career planning, and financial literacy.

We checked in with four former participants to see what they’re doing now, where they are on their fitness journeys, and how the program has impacted their lives.

Vanessa Loja: Celebrating Every Victory

While participating in Run for the Future in 2014, Vanessa Loja learned an important lesson: Celebrate every victory, no matter how small. “During Run for the Future, some of those victories were simply making it through a training session,” she said.

After Run for the Future, Vanessa joined her high school cross-country team and ran many NYRR races. She stopped running for a time, but has picked it up again during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m so happy to have rediscovered my love for it,” she said. “I do have to give credit to my dog, Nugget, for keeping me active on days I don’t run!”

Vanessa is now in her last semester of college and working on her senior thesis. She’s also wrapping up an eight-week program at the nonprofit organization DoSomething, where she’s learning to create and run campaigns, and is also a fellow at Project Basta, a nonprofit that guides first-generation students through the job-search process.

“Five years from now, I will be celebrating the completion of my master’s degree, most likely in education,” she said. “I hope to be pursuing a career that allows me to create spaces for marginalized groups. I also hope that five years from now, I’ll have run the New York City Marathon at least once!”

Warisha Siddiqui: A Diplomat in Training

Before participating in Run for the Future in 2018, Warisha Siddiqui didn't realize the ripple effects of getting active. “I slept better and had more confidence, better posture, clearer skin, and more energy,” she said. “Being active also made it easier to make friends because the other girls and I bonded over soreness tips and chatted during practice.”

Health and fitness remain top priorities for Warisha. “With the craziness of the pandemic, I needed to create a schedule to find a sense of normalcy,” she said. “Structuring my life around my workouts was the easiest way to do that.” She’s been doing one- to two-hour HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts four days a week and walking three to five miles a few times a week.

Warisha spent this summer interning at the nonprofit organization Women Creating Change. She’s also studying Arabic in preparation for the fall semester at Tufts University, where she’s majoring in international relations. She’s on the board of her school’s South Asian Political Action Community, which has raised more than $6,000 this summer for those affected by COVID-19.

“In five years, I hope to have earned my bachelor’s degree and started a career in foreign affairs,” she said. “I hope to earn my master’s degree and develop a career in diplomacy. In 10 years, I intend to be a member of the U.S. Foreign Service and become the diplomat I’ve dreamed of being. I also hope to run a 5K and work my way up to a 10K or even half-marathon.”

Sophia Fan: Making Health and Fitness a Priority

Sophia Fan (pictured above, left) learned two surprising things about herself while participating in Run for the Future in 2019. First, she can run. Second, she can enjoy it. “Since my time in the program, I have adopted the mindset that ‘practice makes progress’ as my drive in taking on a new interest or activity,” she said.

While she’s stopped running during the pandemic, Sophia is finding other ways to stay active. “I have been exploring yoga, HIIT workouts, and calisthenics by following along to online videos at home,” she said. “Also, I have been learning how to cook, so now I have more responsibility for my diet. Since completing Run for the Future, one thing I’m proud of is that I can see my future with health and fitness as a priority.”

Sophia is using this summer to relax and enjoy hobbies like embroidering and baking before starting her freshman year of college in the fall. She’s not sure what career path she’ll choose, but she’s thinking of becoming an editor. “I hope to be able to look back to this point in my life and see how far I have come in terms of my health and fitness lifestyle,” she said.

Aaliyah Scott: “A Healthier and Cleaner Lifestyle”

Aaliyah Scott took part in Run for the Future in 2012. It taught her lessons that stay with her to this day. “I learned that I enjoyed running and that it was fun and something I can incorporate in my workouts,” she said.

Aaliyah is still working out three days a week and being mindful of nutrition. “I don’t eat meat anymore,” she said. “I changed my lifestyle during the beginning of the year to live a healthier and cleaner lifestyle.”

That lifestyle will help as she pursues her big dreams for the future. “Currently I am a receptionist at a private veterinary office,” she said. “Five to 10 years from now, I hope to have finished my degree in forensic toxicology and begun my career.”

Learn more about NYRR Run for the Futureand make a donation to support the program, which is scheduled to resume in spring 2021.