Step after step she runs. Before school, after school, on the weekend, on vacation, it doesn’t matter; she keeps running. For ten of her fourteen years alive, freshman Amelia Jauregui has been a runner. It all started when she began kindergarten.

“Back in Kindergarten,” mom Courtney Jauregui said. “Her elementary school P.E. teacher was a runner and got the kids into running and encouraged them to do this race for kids. Amelia ended up doing [this] every year of elementary school and until that time I guess we hadn’t realized not only that she would like it, but that she was also pretty good at it.”

Her love for running dates back to kindergarten where her passion was first discovered.

“I’ve always loved running, but I first started running when I was in kindergarten at this little fun run race which was only a half mile,” Jauregui said. “Then I realized I really liked it. I didn’t get serious about it till 6th or 7th grade.”

Since then, Jauregui has dedicated herself to practice and improvement.

“This summer I made sure I practiced a lot, did all the workouts on the summer schedule, and didn’t slack off,” Amelia Jauregui said. “I just made sure I kept up the work and kept pushing myself to do better.”

Her inspiration for constant practice comes from peers and ambition.

“[I run] everyday before school; The only days I take off are Sundays but sometimes I’ll run,” freshman Amelia Jauregui said. “What motivates me to run is that I can get better and that I can push others and other people push me for me to get better.”

Jauregui is a freshman on the Varsity team, and is known for her positive attitude.

“Amelia’s been doing really well and she’s been helping our team,” junior Carrie Fish said. “She’s been for the most part our 2nd or 3rd runner which is key to contributing to the team. “She’s been running really hard, always has a good attitude, and always keeps pushing me and makes me want to run faster.”

Amelia’s running capability and positive attitude is seen by everyone around her.

“Amelia has contributed very strongly on the athletic side as you can see on how she does in all her meets,” cross country coach Amanda Byers said. “She does a great job of pushing her teammates. In the beginning of the season, I would have told you she is a quiet kid, but she has really come out of her shell throughout this season. It’s been fun being able to see her bubble A personality.”

Jauregui’s success is not a surprise to Byers.

“We saw her as an 8th grader and how well she competed there, so we were looking forward to having her on the team,” Byers said. “I didn’t know that she would be our number two at most meets, but I figured she’d be contributing to the varsity team.”

Likewise, Courtney Jauregui believes her achievements reflect her effort.

“We were very excited for her and very proud of her because we know how hard she’d been working,” Courtney Jauregui said. “[It] was very exciting for us to see her hard work pay off.”

Regardless, Jauregui isn’t quitting anytime soon.

“I definitely want to run in college,” Amelia Jauregui said. “I don’t know how that will go, but I really want to. I’m gonna keep working hard so I can get to that point. As long as I can, I would like to run in college.”