Join us in welcoming our new Program Manager, Onika, to the GOTR community as she shares a little about her background and why she's excited to join GOTR Puget Sound!

As a social worker, I have extensive experience with children and families through my work with non-profit organizations and government entities – specifically foster care. I have seen the ways in which a lack of support, the absence of meaningful programs, and the removal of positive spaces to express themselves, has stripped girls of opportunities to be their best.

I am humbled to join Girls on the Run as the Program Manager of the Puget Sound Council. In my three weeks on the job, I have participated in two Heart & Sole practices and volunteered at the Beat the Bunny event. In this short amount of time, I have seen the enormous impact of this program as girls speak their truths, learn to understand the perspective of others, and challenge themselves physically, mentally and emotionally.

I have come to Girls on the Run with a love and passion for girls and women to discover movement on their own terms. To watch someone grow in strength of character, and to support them as they discover their power is a true honor. I am grateful and excited to join Andrea, Happie and Maya, in continuing to build a strong, successful, inclusive program in the Puget Sound.

Who am I?: Born in Harlem, raised in the Bronx, I am a New Yorker (always and forever). I have lived in eight states. I have been running for over 25 years. I am a steak lover, turned vegan.

I look forward to meeting and working with GOTR communities wide and far.