Senior Stories: Anthony, A Journey of Improvement
Anthony Abasi, a two-time LA Marathon finisher, has recently graduated from Magnolia Science Academy High School and was awarded the SRLA Scholarship this year. This scholarship will help fund his academic journey at Stanford University, where he plans on studying Bioengineering and Symbolic Systems. Learn more about Anthony’s SRLA journey in his own words here.
Anthony celebrating at his high school graduation.
Before joining SRLA, while I was disciplined in my academic pursuits, I couldn’t say the same about my personal life. Time and time again, I prioritize my schooling at the expense of my development as a person. There were always parts of me that I didn’t like, and I’d plan out how to improve, yet I never took action. In times I found motivation to make a change in my life, my academics often took control and made me further put it off. But SRLA taught me that discipline is there for me when motivation fails to be.
By joining SRLA, my school’s running team, I’ve taken my discipline to a whole new level. Running the insanely long distances to prepare for the Los Angeles Marathon was never the hard part: it was having the discipline to show up. My discipline was tested the most last year with the Holiday Half-Marathon because it was cold and raining. I didn’t want to go to that race, and in all honesty, I just wanted to stay home where I was cozy. Nevertheless, I pushed myself to do that race because I have a commitment to myself. In every practice, race, or leisure run I take, I build the discipline that’s needed to take one more step towards the person that my future relies on me to become.
I think, since my time in SRLA, I’ve become a better person, because it made me a more caring person. The encouragement and unwavering support from my loved ones have been instrumental in my journey, because it reinforces the notion that I’m never alone in my struggles. Even as I move off to college, I know that I’ll be able to find my own community. If I have any luck, hopefully it’ll provide me with even a sliver of what SRLA has. No matter what college has in store for me, SRLA has forged me into a person that’s ready to take on that challenge, encouraging everyone around me to push themselves along the way.
“The best way to predict your future is by
being disciplined enough to create it yourself.”
A selfie with Coach Flores and Anthony before start of the Holiday Half Marathon Race.
Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA) is the balance in my life that recharges me. No matter what is going on in my life, I’m able to spend time with my friends and teammates, and just enjoy their company while running. SRLA taught me what it meant like to be in a community, to embrace the highs and lows, being there for those around you. From my perspective, it was a place filled with people that are constantly pushing each other to be better. Whether it's encouraging struggling teammates to keep pushing forward or seeing a poster made for me by my friends on the Hansen Dam while I’m struggling myself, every interaction reinforces our bond.
Each race I’ve run proved to me that discipline is who I am at my core. I may not be the most talented or smartest in the room, but I know that I’m not afraid of showing up to put in the work. I’m no longer intimidated when I think of the difficult path that lies ahead of me. Instead, I think “just one more” — whether that's just one more mile, challenge, or opportunity to become better.
“SRLA has forged me into a person that’s ready to take on that
challenge, encouraging everyone around me to push themselves along the way.”
Emerson passing the finish line during the SRLA 30K Friendship Run.