Growing up in Hopkinton and watching the Boston Marathon every year, I naturally grew this desire to one day run it. It seemed like an unattainable goal at the time. I was never a runner. In fact, growing up, I avoided all sports that involved running.

I was captain of the Hopkinton High School varsity volleyball team as well as the swimming and diving team and was a member of the varsity softball team. It wasn’t until grad school at Albany Medical College when I was no longer playing a sport that I picked up running.

I started running as an outlet for stress, but, naturally, my competitive side came out and I started running half marathons. I was hooked instantly. People will call you crazy and ask you why you would ever want to torture yourself by running so far, but running is often the best part of my day. It’s the only time of day where I can completely forget about everything I have going on or things I need to get done. The only thing I need to focus on in that moment is putting one foot in front of the other. Quickly, running the Boston Marathon was starting to not look like such an unattainable goal. 

This will be my first marathon, and I am proud to be able to represent my hometown of Hopkinton by running for the Hopkinton Education Foundation. This foundation promotes education and innovation throughout the Hopkinton Public School system in order to advance children’s learning and motivate students to become lifelong learners. As someone who went through the Hopkinton Public School system, I have personally been impacted by the work of the Hopkinton Education Foundation. I would not be where I am today, working as a physician assistant at NewYork-Presbyterian without this foundation’s support throughout my education. I truly believe in the importance of education and want to help allow more students to pursue their dreams just as I was able to do. 

My goal is to raise at least $5,000 to support the Hopkinton Education Foundation. Thank you all for your generous support!