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USC's Chanel Fischetti: Running With Purpose

Michael Green |
April 12, 2010 | 11:09 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Chanel Fischetti is a runner who shows determination both on and off the track..
(Photo courtesy of Chanel Fischetti)

As a University of Southern California cross country runner, Chanel Fischetti has always run with purpose. But with her senior season having reached an end, she is now planning to run for a purpose.

Fischetti and former USC teammate Christine Greer are in the process of planning an event that gives literal meaning to the term "cross country." The two have decided to embark on a trip from New York to Los Angeles using only bicycles and their feet.

Fischetti says the trip will raise money to fight childhood obesity and inspire others to get active. She also hopes to make stops at schools along the way to talk about the meaning of her trek across the United States.

"Basically, we don't want a 9-to-5 job," Fischetti said. "So what do we know how to do? We know how to run. So we might as well use what we know to inspire people."

Fischetti estimates that the two will hit the road by spring 2011.
 
The trip stands to be a milestone moment in a race that Fischetti has run away from the track throughout her college career.


Running a Bigger Race

In her time at USC, Fischetti has used her position as a collegiate athlete to promote positive change.

"It's such a gift to be able to have a voice and to be able to actually make a change in the community," said Fischetti.

Fischetti has helped develop two community service programs on campus: FACE AIDS and Best Buddies.

FACE AIDS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to AIDS education and support. It was created with the mission of inspiring students to help combat the spread of AIDS in Africa. The group works with Partners in Health, a social justice organization, to raise funds for the effort.

The USC chapter has nearly tripled in size since Fischetti started it in 2008. She also headed a campaign to get well-known HIV/AIDS activist Kay Warren to speak about the disease before a group of 50 USC students.

Fischetti, a pre-med student, was inspired to start the FACE AIDS chapter after studying the impact that the disease has had on Africa. She aspires to one day travel to Africa to continue the fight in person.

The same motivation has led her to volunteer with HIV/AIDS patients at the University of California Los Angeles CARE Center. While volunteering, she has learned about treatment methods and the social aspects of medicine.

"I'm positive that I want to do something to change the world and I don't know what it is, but I think it's in medicine," said Fischetti. "That's why I want my medical degree. I think it will help me have a voice for change in the world."

Fischetti's altruism is also evident in her work with the Best Buddies program. In her role with the organization, she aspired to unite student athletes with children who have intellectual and physical disabilities.

With the help of Student-Athlete Academic Services, Fischetti spearheaded a partnership with F.D. Lanterman High School in Los Angeles to accomplish her goal.

"She was the point person and it was her vision, her hard work that got it started," said Kyle Ross, an SAAS academic counselor.

The first event was held at USC in January 2009 and attracted nearly 50 student-athlete volunteers. Its success led to another Best Buddies day in November 2009.

"The kids just adored the athletes, and the athletes were so good with the kids," said Fischetti about the inaugural Best Buddies event. "It was just such a special day."

Fischetti has also reached out to children on an individual basis outside of school. She recently developed a close relationship with Mahala, 9, a local fourth grader.

Mahala's parents hired Fischetti to mentor their daughter, who had been struggling in school. In less than a year Fischetti has helped Mahala grow noticeably by tutoring her and teaching her how to play the piano.

"She has become something of a hero to my daughter," said Mahala's father, who asked to remain anonymous for this article.

Fischetti hopes to translate her passion for helping others into a career in medicine. She has also learned sign language in an effort to communicate with patients who are deaf.

"I think it's such a beautiful language," said Fischetti. "It's pretty cool to be able to connect with somebody on that level."

One of Fischetti's proudest moments to date occurred while she was volunteering at the UCLA CARE Center. She noticed staff at the clinic having difficulty communicating with a man who was deaf and could not read lips.

Fischetti communicated with the new patient using sign language and helped interpret his words to a doctor at the center. The doctor later told Fischetti that she had eased the patient's anxiety and that he would be returning to the UCLA CARE Center in the future.

The Path Ahead

Fischetti's contributions led USC to honor her with the Order of Troy, an award that recognizes graduating seniors for their exceptional service to the campus and community.

"She came to USC and really developed as an athlete and a person through her four years and became one of the most respected leaders on our team," said USC Cross Country Coach Tom Walsh. "She was always looking out for other people before herself."

Fischetti now finds herself leading a new movement, one that represents the union of two parallel paths that she has sprinted along throughout her college career: athletics and community service.

Between New York and Los Angeles, Fischetti hopes to outline a course that will mobilize others toward making a change. As has been the case throughout her cross country career, she will pursue something bigger than the race itself.

And, as Fischetti does with every race, she will run with purpose.



 

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