Who is Aaron Crawford?
Updated: Mar 13, 2021
Aaron Crawford is a senior, mass media arts major with a concentration in TV and film from Oakland, California. He is a relaxed, innovative and ambitious cross country runner for CAU.
His journey into becoming a cross country runner isn’t the usual one. Originally, Crawford ran track and didn’t attempt to run cross country until his sophomore year of college. “I decided to run cross country because the summer I transferred to Clark Atlanta, the men’s track team was discontinued,” he says. At the time, he wanted a reason to stay in shape. He ended up getting the coach’s information and decided to walk on to the team. On his first year on the team, he ran without a scholarship, however due to hard work and dedication, he earned one, and the rest is history.
Off the track, CAU has allowed Crawford to express himself. In high school, he and his twin brother usually had people gravitate towards them because “twins are seen as unique or special,” but he was not social. Now, Crawford is out of his shell and open to various conversations. “Being at CAU, [it] has given me the opportunity to find my voice and develop a network of friends that I can call on forever,” he says. He has become more collaborative and team-oriented as a result of attending CAU.
Further, Crawford’s impact at CAU extends off the track. He impacted CAU as he served as CAU’s Mr. Sociology Association in 2017-2018. Moreover, he gives back to the community around CAU through events with the cross country team and the Joseph & Evelyn Lowery Institute. In addition, he has created a media organization on campus called the Juice Live AUC. Crawford exudes the qualities of a CAU student by displaying great character on and off the track.
When Crawford’s time at CAU ends, he wants to leave a lasting impact on cross country at CAU. He says, “I want to impact the cross country culture by making sure hard work and determination are emphasized on the teams of the future so that they can compete for championships.”
This story has been originally published in Clark Atlanta University's student newspaper - the Panther. For inquiries, email James McJunkins: jamesolaf@comcast.net