From Participant to Junior Coach: Aislinn's Girls on the Run Story

When Aislinn first joined Girls on the Run as a third grader in 2019, she simply wanted to spend more time with the older girls she looked up to and make new friends. What she didn't realize was that the program would become a place she would return to year after year, first as a participant through Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole and now as a junior coach.

"I saw it as an opportunity to make more friends and hang out with my buddies outside of school," Aislinn shared.

"But what kept me coming back was the environment. It always felt like such a safe and positive space. If I had a bad day at school, Girls on the Run always managed to make me leave smiling."

That sense of belonging shaped much more than her afternoons. Aislinn credits Girls on the Run with helping her become the person she is today.

"I like to think I'm emotionally mature for my age, and a lot of that is thanks to Girls on the Run. It taught me that it's okay to feel different emotions, even the hard ones," she explains.

"I honestly don't know who I would be today without Girls on the Run."

After completing Heart & Sole in 2024, Aislinn wasn't ready to say goodbye. As a freshman in high school, she stepped into a new role as a junior coach, eager to give back to the program that had given her so much.

Stepping into the role of junior coach has been an incredibly rewarding experience for Aislinn. Having just completed Heart & Sole the year before, she quickly found herself on the other side of the program, building meaningful relationships with a new group of girls.

"As the season went on, I built such great relationships with the girls," she said. "When I see them happy, I get happy. When I was a participant, the coaches were the people who made the experience so special. Now I get to help create that same feeling for someone else."

One memory from this past season perfectly captures the impact she is already making.

"On my second day of coaching, three younger girls came up to me and asked if I was coaching the whole season. When I told them yes, they all lit up and gave me hugs. It felt so special knowing they were excited to have me there. Knowing I made that kind of impact makes me so happy."

For Aislinn, coaching is about far more than leading activities. It's about showing up for girls who need someone in their corner.

"I know school is a safe place for so many kids," she said. "Some might be dealing with things at home, and since I'm too young to be a teacher, junior coaching gives me the opportunity to be there for them in that safe place. I hope I can help them leave with a little more positivity and good energy than they came with. Even if school isn't their favorite place, I hope Girls on the Run gives them something to look forward to."

If she could offer one piece of advice to a girl thinking about joining Girls on the Run, it would be simple: 

"Do it! It's such a positive environment, and it had such a positive impact on my childhood and my life," Aislinn says.

"Girls on the Run gave me lifelong friendships, opportunities to give back to my community, and memories I'll always carry with me."

From the third grader who joined to be with friends to the junior coach inspiring the next generation, Aislinn's journey is a beautiful reminder of what Girls on the Run is all about. The confidence, kindness, and joy she found in the program are now the very same gifts she is passing on to every girl she supports as a junior coach. 

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