Hometown: Delmar, NY
Year: Junior
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Psychology
This nature-loving Junior nicknamed Wheels just broke the Women’s 5K record – with an impressive time of 18 minutes and 14 seconds. Check in to see how she learned how to ride a unicycle and how she’s changing the Loudonville community for the better!
Her Campus Siena: Congrats on beating the 5K record! What were your thoughts when you heard that you broke it?
Christie: Thank you! At the time, I wasn’t trying to break the record; I just wanted to have a solid first race of the season. I knew I ran a personal best, but it didn’t even cross my mind that I may have broken the school record. I was pleasantly surprised when my coach told me. All the girls on the team have been training hard this season, so I hope the record encourages them to keep up the good work.
HC: Are you hoping to keep your record for a long time, or do you think it will be broken soon?
C: No! I’m actually hoping that someone breaks my record, because that means that the team is improving and working harder. The program has grown so much since my freshman year and I’m really happy to be a part of that growth.
HC: When did you first start running?
C: I was a freshman in high school. My older sister ran distance on the track team, so I joined as a sprinter so that it wouldn’t seem like I was copying her. After being a sprinter for a week, I realized that I enjoyed running longer and decided to train for distance events instead.
HC: Awesome! So you said you can ride a unicycle . . . how did that exactly start?
C: Yes! In seventh grade I asked for a unicycle as one of my Christmas presents. Once I got it, I taught myself by watching videos online and reading at a unicycling book. My dad helped me balance until I learned how to get up on my own. It’s a lot like riding a bike, except much harder to get up.
HC: So tell me about your Bottle Project, I’m really interested!
C: In high school, I started picking up bottles and cans on my runs. When I came to college, I continued to pick up containers I saw around campus or the side of the road while running. Now, my whole team is involved! Although no one else picks up containers as much as I do on training runs, they give me their bottles once they are done with them. At the end of the year we donate the money collected from bottle returns to a local environmental organization.
HC: That’s really great that you took the initiative to start doing that. So you really love the environment and nature?
C: Yes! This summer I had an internship at the Capital District Community Gardens, which is a local non-for-profit organization that provides people with access to fresh produce and green spaces to grow it. I had an awesome experience interning there. It made me even more excited to continue taking classes as an Environmental Studies major. After graduation, I would love to do something involving either sustainable urban planning or agriculture. I love nature and being outdoors, so I think it would be cool to have a job where I could help others experience it as well.