SAMO Fund Intern to Run 5th L.A. Marathon

On March 19, Andrea Jimenez, one of SAMO Fund's Open Outdoors for Kids Interns, will be running in her fifth consecutive L.A. Marathon!

Initially, Andrea didn't think that she would be able to complete a marathon. She started training with 'Students Run L.A.' at school because she enjoyed running and wanted to be part of a team. Andrea ran her first marathon when she was 16 years old. She almost didn't complete this race, as she felt physically and mentally unequipped to handle the final stretch. One of the coaches in the Students Run L.A. program saw she was in distress and walked with her, motivating her not to give up. As soon as she saw the finishing line, Andrea found what she needed within herself to begin running again, and managed to cross the finishing line. The feeling of accomplishment and pride of finishing this first race has driven Andrea to keep enjoying running marathons! 

The Open Outdoors for Kids program is managed by SAMO Fund and implemented by the National Park Service. It brings 20,000 4th graders from around Southern California to engage with an outdoors educational program. Most of the students come from Title 1 schools that otherwise may not have the budget to afford an outdoors education program. For many, it’s their first ever visit to a National Park and provides a day of adventure and learning with Rangers. The program is supported with funding from the National Park Foundation, and includes a component for young adults to prepare and host the field trips with the Education Division at NPS. As an intern Andrea is part of the team that leads both the virtual and in-person field trips. She teaches the elementary students about the history, floral and fauna of their local parks.

"The best part about working with SAMO Fund is discovering new park sites, interacting and making a difference with the kids, and having a great team who supports one another," said Andrea Jimenez.

Andrea is currently studying Psychology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She chose to major in Psychology because she wants to work with people and wants to understand people in order to be able to help them.

Look out for Andrea - she will be running in a T-shirt specifically designed for the occasion. If you do see her, give her an encouraging shout out! If you'd like to support the education program at SAMO Fund, please make donation. If you'd like a shirt of your own, check out our store!

Andrea Jimenez