Rationale for world record attempt

After making the decision to attempt to break the current Guinness World Record for running a marathon while dribbling a basketball (currently 4 hours, 30 minutes, 29 seconds), I decided to combine all of my passions—basketball, running, social justice, and education— and partner with Stanford College Prep (formerly Upward Bound) to raise funds to support students in the Bay Area.

Stanford College Prep (SCP) prepares and motivates 60 students enrolled at East Palo Alto Academy high school to pursue a college education. These students will be the first generation in their families to attend college, and SCP offers them year-round, comprehensive social and academic support throughout high school to help them understand how to set themselves up to be both eligible and competitive for college after high school graduation. Additionally, these students’ families earn low incomes, and SCP also helps them navigate the financial aid and scholarship application processes, allowing funding their educations to become a reality.

As a teacher in this area, I have students from all different backgrounds. Families in my classroom include some of the wealthiest in the Bay Area, and also some of the poorest in the Bay Area. My classroom is a microcosm of the larger society. In discussions with students, I have been devastated to find out that very qualified students are not going to college because they cannot afford to pay for the SAT, SAT II, ACT tests, then pay for the college applications, then pay for a trip to visit colleges. Furthermore, if students are able to get through these expenses, many cannot afford the housing deposits for college, rising tuition costs, and also books. The cost of applying for college and housing during the senior year of high school can be well over $2,000. In these economic times, funding and scholarships for students are also becoming more scarce, only encouraging the growing achievement gap. It is my belief that everyone needs to have the opportunity for higher education and their financial situation should not determine this.

I decided to partner with Stanford College Prep and the Haas Center at Stanford because of the close ties I developed as an undergraduate at Stanford. I worked and volunteered with them and have seen the success that these programs have with students and inspiring them to pursue higher education and to help the community. Together, we hope we can help students achieve the opportunity for higher education and not be deterred from their dreams because of financial difficulties.

Biography

Pablo’s Biography:

I was born and raised in Redwood City, CA. My mother is an elementary school teacher and my father is a juvenile probation officer who works closely with the high schools in the area. Family dinner conversations were always about social justice and public service. This influence has shaped my whole life and aspirations.

After attending Hoover Elementary and going through the bilingual education program, I attended Kennedy Middle School, and went on to Woodside High School. I achieved a lifelong dream by attending Stanford University, earning a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish. While at Stanford, I worked closely with many public service organizations on campus, including Camp Kesem, and the East Palo Alto Stanford Academy as an Education and Youth Development Fellow for the Haas Center. Immediately after graduation, I pursued my other aspiration of becoming an educator by attending the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) and receiving my Masters in Education and California teaching credential.

I kept my promise to return to my community to serve, so upon graduating from STEP, I began teaching Social Studies at my alma mater, Woodside High School. I currently teach 9^th grade World Studies and 11^th grade US History.

Throughout my life, I have been involved in athletics. I have played basketball my whole life, but in high school I participated in track and field and cross country. I enjoy pushing myself, so at Stanford I decided to challenge myself and joined the Stanford Triathlon team. I participated in triathlons for a year and a half until an accident left me injured and having to stop for a couple of months. As I was getting back into shape after the accident, I was given an opportunity to become a Pace Leader for the Nike Women’s Marathon Club Runs in Palo Alto. It was then that I trained and completed my first marathon. Since then, I have continued to challenge myself to new adventures.