Learning, Running, Writing: Leila’s 2025-2026 Wrapped

Content

Classes

• 9 classes

• 31 credits

• 5 in the fall semester

• 4 in the spring semester

• 4 English major classes

• 2 Honors classes

• 2 Gen Ed classes

• 1 Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor class

This year, I was really happy with how I split my courseload between the fall and spring semester. The fall is usually a bit less busy for me than the spring because of track season, so I loaded my schedule with 17 credits in the fall and 14 in the spring. My favorite class that I took this year was ENG356: Poetry Workshop with John Hennessy. I also had two great Honors classes, HONORS391AH: Race and Racism in American Popular Music with Musbah Shaheen and HONORS221: The Springfield Renaissance with John Simpson.

I had this photo taken on my first day of 14th grade.

Track Races

• 13 meets

• 25 races

• 7 outdoor meets

• 6 indoor meets

• 7,800 meters

• 4.85 miles

I also raced a lot. I mostly competed in the 400m and 4x400m relay, but I had forays into the 200m, 300m, and 500m distances. The 300m and 500m are exclusively indoor track events, and I had never done them before, because in Ohio high school meets we always competed in the traditional events. I’m really proud of how I managed to stay on top of my health and compete throughout both the indoor and outdoor season, because of my history with injury.

I raced so many times this year, including this meet at the University of Rhode Island!

Media Publications

• 22 CHC articles

• 10 CHC videos

• 3 poems published

On top of school and track, I published 22 articles and 10 videos for CHC! I started working for CHC last spring, and I’ve really enjoyed writing both personal pieces (such as How I Became a Runner: My Journey to Loving the Sport Most People Hate), advertising some of the many amazing events that CHC hosts (such as Nilanjana Dasgupta’s insightful Plenary Lecture in the fall), and making videos (such as my Day in the Life series) as well. I also had three poems published, including two in The Scribe and one in Jabberwocky.

I also got the opportunity to read some of my published work at the Jabberwocky launch party!

States Visited

1. Connecticut
2. Indiana
3. Massachusetts
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. New York
7. Ohio
8. Pennsylvania
9. Rhode Island

I traveled to so many different states this year! I went to Rhode Island, Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Indiana for track meets, which was really exciting because last year I only competed in Massachusetts (with one exception). My favorite state that I visited was probably New Jersey—we went to Princeton, which is a really beautiful part of New Jersey. I also went to New York over winter break for a ski trip at Peek’n Peak and stayed in Pennsylvania for the night.

I had a great view from the plane flying home to Cleveland for spring break.

Athlete Ally Events

• 9 events

• 400+ event attendees

• $222 raised

One of my big goals this year was to help coordinate more events as vice president of Athlete Ally, the organization that supports LGBTQ athletes at UMass. We had a breakthrough year, hosting nine different events, collaborating with other student-athlete groups, bringing an alum back to campus, and reaching so many new people! However, my favorite part of the work I did with Athlete Ally this year can’t be measured in numbers—it was simply all the moments where I got to build community and friendships with other queer athletes on different teams.

Athlete Ally kicked off the year by hosting Derrick Gordon, the first openly gay D1 men’s basketball player and a UMass alum.

Bike Repairs

• 4 repairs

• 3 UMass Bike Coop visits

• 1 Hampshire Bicycle Exchange visit

My bike is not only my form of transportation on UMass’s large campus, but also a friend. However, she went through a lot of physical problems this year, mostly relating to her chain and brakes. I was lucky enough to have access to great bike repair service, including the on-campus UMass Bike Coop and Hampshire Bicycle Exchange right off campus next to Playa Bowls. Hopefully next year includes fewer bike problems!

My bike got a new rear derailleur at the Hampshire Bicycle Exchange.

Dining Hall Trips

• 460 (230 in the spring semester, approximately doubled)

The dining hall is, of course, one of the best parts of UMass. Because I live in Southwest, I have to say I’m partial to Hampshire Dining Commons, but Franklin is also great when I’m on that side of campus. My favorite place to spend my dining dollars is Tavola in Blue Wall—they have amazing Mediterranean wraps and chicken broccoli alfredo.

Leila pictured in Hamp, her favorite place.

I got to have so many fun experiences at UMass this year, and I’m so excited for what’s next in my junior year. Here’s to a 2026-2027 full of learning, running, writing, creating, traveling, building community, biking, and eating!