Our Collective Stories

The day that Ali Akhtar was supposed to take the MCAT, he decided he didn't really want to be a doctor. He just thought he was supposed to. He wanted to help people, but differently, so he started down the road to be a therapist.

When Barbara first discovered the Starting Line Scholarship, running was not yet part of her life. She had been walking daily for about two and a half years and noticed the impact movement had on her mental health, helping manage anxiety, depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and grief. But when the idea of adding running came up, she was not sure how to begin.  “I had never run and didn’t know where to start,” she shared. “I happened across the Starting Line Scholar

"I was making the space for myself and my health to be a priority. It was an empowering journey." For one busy working mom, the decision to apply for the Starting Line Scholarship wasn't just about getting active, it was about reclaiming space for herself. After watching her daughter participate in Girls on the Run , Stefania was inspired to lace up her own shoes again and rediscover the runner inside her.  "I was a runner in high school, but as an adult, I had no relationshi