Lilit Arakelian was born and raised in Glendale, California. She is a junior has been attending GUSD for her whole life. Her parents immigrated to America from Armenia, to provide a better future for her and her younger brother. 

Lilit’s hobbies include reading, drawing, playing guitar, and running. Lilit likes two main genres to read about, which are fantasy and psychology. Lilit started her interest in playing guitar during her freshman year, and although she does not have a formal guitar teacher, she is practicing the skill herself and is trying to play the metal genre. Lilit has been drawing since her childhood, and she does it to unwind at the end of the day by drawing how she feels.

Lilit’s interest in running dates all the way back to her years in elementary school, when she used to run with her father. She was a part of the track team in middle school, as well as all three years that she has been at GHS. Her interest started when she saw her athletic potential, and she realized that not a lot of people can endure long-distance running. As she grew older, she felt more confident in herself and track practice has become a part of her life, where she can relax and have fun.

The reason why Lilit wanted to specifically join the track and field team was because of how much comradery there is between the team members. By the end of the day, instead of trying to improve your own skills by doing your own workouts, you get to join your teammates and work out as a unit. You constantly see each other grow and improve, and you can be there to support the others around you. That type of relationship between team members pushed Lilit to join the team.

Lilit also enjoys the time that she has spent with Coach Bailey. He has taught her hard work and discipline, and he has encouraged her to push herself to improve. This high level of mental and physical focus is something she hopes will encourage her teammates to push through with their own workouts. Coach Bailey also has a good sense of humor, that will cheer you up when you feel the most tired.

Lilit feels that the whole experience with her team members has been very joyful, and the way they motivate each other is very heartwarming for her. She is especially proud of the cross country team and how far they’ve all come. It is a constant reminder that she always can do better, and she can make sure to encourage her other teammates to have the same expectations for themselves. This amount of positivity allows for a much better experience during an everyday workout, and it pushes everyone to try a little harder.

Lilit also expressed that the best feeling in track and field is when, at the end of the day, even after she has had a terrible day and she feels like just going home and lying in her bed, she can always look back fondly at what she has done in track. She can look back at how she has started and reflect on what she has become. She has realized that there is no better feeling than this sense of accomplishment and constant improvement.

Lilit hopes that, in the future, more people will join the track and field team, because the number of team members have fallen over the past few years. She hopes that people will see the potential that this sport has to offer, not only as a place where they can compete, but as an opportunity to socialize and to understand the people around them much better. 

If you want to join the GHS track and field team, you can contact your counselor, or you can email Coach Bailey at [email protected].