ALL Stars Unplugged: Their Favorites, The Near Future, and Other Fun Facts

The 20 student-athletes that are participating in the Active Living Leadership ALL Stars program all have a few things in common: they have all excelled academically, achieved athletic success, and are actively involved in their school and greater community. They are each unique young leaders, representing 15 schools in 8 localities, each having their own lived experience, and on the precipice of forging their own paths in this world.

We thought it would be fun to get to know them a bit beyond what we learned from their program applications and what comes up during our ALL Stars sessions. Read on to learn more about some of this year’s ALL Stars . . . we promise you will walk away feeling positive about our future being in their hands!

What was your favorite childhood book?

Lila Donnelly, Monacan High School: Goosie and Gertie

Kaleb Smith, Mechanicsville High School: The who was books if you know that!

Gabriela Linkonis, Collegiate School: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By, Dr. Seuss

Lydia Stumpf, St. Gertrude’s Catholic School: For some reason, I read Little Women for the first time in fourth grade and continually read it throughout elementary school. I think the size of the book seemed almost threatening to me, and I was intrigued. I loved the story, I related to the sisters and their bonds, and I also enjoyed reading how much gratitude they found in items as simple as a little green storybook.

Charlotte Smith, St. Catherine’s School: Piggie and Gerald

Molly Sleman, Freeman High School: The Magic Tree House Books

Mackenzie Strohhacker, Mechanicsville High School: Pinkalicious

Mary Mansfield, Matoaca High School: Nancy Drew
 

What’s next? Are you planning to play sports in college? If not, how do you plan to continue living actively?

Sanaa Moore, Henrico High School: I plan on continuing to play basketball at an HBCU

Riley Humphries, Prince George High School: I want to run track in college, hopefully at JMU.

Lila: I am playing basketball in college.

Kaleb: Yes, baseball at Liberty University.

Gabriela: Due to a knee injury, I do not plan to continue soccer in college. But discovering my love for running my Freshman year of high school when I joined my school’s Cross Country team, has allowed me to pursue the sport further. I plan to continue running in college and far beyond.

Lydia: Academically, I want to embark on the pre-medicine track in college, but I would love to play club tennis, intramural pickle-ball, basketball, and soccer.

Charlotte: I am going to the Naval Academy next year and while I did not get recruited to play lacrosse, the coach has told me I have a chance to walk on to the team so I am currently training to walk on to the Naval Academy lacrosse team. If I do not make the team, I plan to join the club lacrosse team!

Molly: I’m hoping to swim in college next year or be on the club swim team.

Mackenzie: I don’t plan on swimming for an actual collegiate team, but I want to do club swim. That way it’s less of a job and more of just doing something I love.

Mary: I am not sure if I will be doing sports in college, but I will definitely run club. I love to run, and I want to continue it no matter what.
 

If you could meet any athlete or coach, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Lila: Michael Jordan, he is the goat.

Kaleb: Bryson DeChambeau, he’s fun to watch.

Gabriela: I would want to meet Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the famous Olympic track runner. She is an inspiration to young women and girls that running is more than a sport. I would want to meet her because watching her compete in the 2024 Olympics ignited excitement and motivation within me.

Lydia: I would love to meet Marcus Freeman right now. He has led an unbelievable Notre Dame winning streak and I have high hopes that they win the championship. Also, I just got accepted into Notre Dame so I have been pretty excited about all ND athletics.

Charlotte: Cristiano Ronaldo. He has worked so hard and truly demonstrates how hard work beats talent always. He came from a low-income community and his determination inspires me and shows that hard work will pay off.

Mary: I would love to meet Keira D’Amato. Not only is she from Richmond and one of the fastest female marathoners, but she also seems super funny and nice.
 

What is your favorite meal to eat before or after a game or meet?

Adrian Chenoweth, Maggie Walker Governor’s School: I love eating pancakes before a track meet, especially with syrup.

Lila: Pasta or a chicken Caesar salad.

Kaleb: Chipotle

Sanaa: I like to eat Tropical Smoothie before my games.

Gabriela: My favorite meal to eat before a game is probably a bagel and cream cheese and a banana.

Lydia: Just any type of pasta honestly.

Charlotte: Definitely a cool blue Gatorade Zero and a Hilltop from Taste.

Mackenzie: Before: any type of pasta, after: Chipotle and ice cream

Mary: My favorite pre-meet meal is beans and rice with chicken. My favorite post-meet meal is anything from Wawa.
 

Would you consider being a coach when you grow up?

Adrian: Yes, I think it would be awesome to coach a middle school soccer team for a league like the Richmond Kickers.

Lydia: I definitely would consider being a coach. Sports have always been a part of my life and I cannot imagine even a day without them, so any way to keep being involved in athletics and promote athletics to kids younger then me is appealing.

Mackenzie: Maybe for a summer swim team.

Riley: I’ve thought about returning to my high school to be the track coach, but I’m not sure

Mary: Yes, I would love to be a coach! I really want to give back to the community which helped shape who I am today.
 

If you could give advice to your childhood self, what would it be?

Lila: Love what you are doing and God has a plan.

Kaleb: Trust the process, don’t jump to quick conclusions.

Sanaa: Hold on to your dreams and work for them because in the end they will come true.

Gabriela: Don’t take life so seriously. Everything happens for a reason and there’s no need to freak yourself out over everything. Enjoy what life throws at you because ultimately how you deal with it is what makes you who you are.

Lydia: Live in the moment. I struggle constantly with this because I plan so far ahead into the future, but I don’t just want everything about my childhood to only be a memory. I want to enjoy it, and I think that “live in the moment” is a saying that we constantly hear, but also one that is hard to fully understand.

Charlotte: Even if you aren’t the best at your sport, the love you have for the sport and the determination to work to get better overpowers initial talent every time.

Molly: Trying your best and having fun is what is most important in the end.

Mackenzie: I would tell her to join a year-round swim team sooner. As a kid I was very nervous to join a year-round swim team because the other swimmers intimidated me and I always viewed them as much faster than me, since I had only swam on a neighborhood team. Therefore, I didn’t join a year-round swim team until I was 13, which is very late for swimming. I wish I would have joined sooner because of the friends and opportunities I missed.

Riley: Definitely just remind myself to push through. It gets really hard at times, and I would tell my younger self that it’s all worth it.
 

What’s one thing you wish adults understood better?

Lila: Generations change.

Gabriela: That teenagers are still trying to figure out life as well. We are not perfect but we will learn.

Lydia: I wish they better understood the positives of social media. I think that a lot of grown adults, especially parents, are so keen to hear the dangers of social media (as they should be) that they miss out on the positives. These being that our generation uses apps like Snapchat to interact with one another, form friendships, spread messages, and be proactive. I also think that good causes and advocacy could benefit immensely if every adult took the time to better understand the workings and promotion tactics behind social media.

Riley: That teens, especially athletes, balance way more on their plate than they’re given credit for. Some adults tend to discredit us and belittle our experiences, but this is our first time doing all of this.

 

What are you most proud of so far in your life?

Lila: Strengthening my relationship with God.

Kaleb: My development as a leader and human being.

Sanaa: I’m proud of how far I have come. I have been through so much and I never let anything stop me from being who I am today.

Gabriela: I am most proud of the person I’ve become. Being able to multitask sports, academics, extracurriculars, clubs, service, and much more has sculpted me into a person that I am proud to be.

Lydia: I am most proud of my Notre Dame acceptance. I hopefully have many more to come, but that was the first college that made me realize all the time and effort I have put in to building my application paid off.

Charlotte: Being accepted into the United States Naval Academy.

Mackenzie: The people I have in my life and the friends I’ve made.

Mary: So far, I am most proud of my hard work ethic. I feel like I try hard at everything I do, no matter if it’s classwork or athletics.