Hello friends! 

Today I am introducing Kelsey to the journal!

Kelsey was the first person I thought of when I wanted to explore the intersection between running, movement, and creativity.

I met Kelsey last fall at a group run with the University of Oregon Running Club. Moving across the country for graduate school and attending a social run club on my own felt a little intimidating. For years, I had always known exactly who I would be running with: my amazing teammates. Even as an extrovert, showing up to an already established running community as a master's student made me surprisingly nervous, however I knew how amazing being apart of a running community is, and with the determination of finding students who ran like me, I put the nerves aside.

From the moment I met Kelsey, though, she made the experience feel welcoming and comfortable. I did not even have to force anyone to talk to me, as Kelsey asked newer runners like me who were standing around either alone or in smaller groups, if they wanted to run with her; going out of her way to make others feel comfortable.

Our first run together, we got to know each other in a group setting, running with another newer runner, the perfect introduction. She also ended up being a listening ear during times of worry, an invitation to my first UO basketball game. Now months later, Kelsey is here voluntarally apart of this campaign that means so much to me. I was honored to be able to highlight her in this journal entry. It really taught me that showing up to something out of your comfort zone socially really does have great rewards. 

Since then, I have been inspired not only by her running, but also by the way she approaches creativity, community, and movement. That's why I was so excited to sit down and talk with her about how those parts of her life connect.

with the friendship of magic,

Adalyn