Life Middle School Waxahachie (LMSW) student Nia Mburo traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, at the beginning of August to compete at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games and came home an All-American three times over.
For Nia, track has always been a family affair. Her mom and brothers were all runners while she was still in elementary school. Too young to compete on a school team, her mother signed her up for AAU track to get her started. The early days weren't easy.
Mburo began running for Express Track, an AAU team based in Fort Worth that competes within a region stretching across the greater Dallas area. Joining the program gave her access to organized coaching, regular competition, and a network of fellow athletes who sharpened her talent and set her on a more serious path in the sport.
Reaching the Junior Olympics is no small feat. To qualify, athletes have to place at the regional meet to earn a trip to nationals, then survive round after round — prelims, quarterfinals, and semifinals — to reach a final. Only the top eight finishers in each event are named All-American.
This August marked Nia's fourth consecutive year qualifying for the Junior Olympics, held at Drake University in Des Moines. Last year she qualified but fell just short of the finals. She came back this summer with something to prove.
At Drake University, that meant racing nearly every day of the week, recovering in between, and then in for the next event. Nia had a system for staying focused: she would put music in her ears and run through her own warm-up before the rest of the field arrived to stretch. Once a race began, everything else disappeared.
"When I'm in my zone, I'm really zoned out, focused on my race," she said. "I don't really talk to anybody. I'd just be zoned out."
Her favorite race of the week was the relay. Running the lead leg, Mburo started strong and handed off with the lead. The moment the baton left her hand, she knew.
"After I passed it off to her, I knew we had it — they're my teammates," she said. "I started screaming at her and watched it go around the track. I was watching the board to make sure we got our PR, and we got our PR."
By the end of the week, Nia had earned All-American honors in all three of her events: the 100 meter, the 200 meter, and the 4x100 relay.
She placed seventh in the nation in the 100, eighth in the 200, and ran the opening leg of a 4x100 relay that finished first, with her team setting a personal record along the way.
For her mother, Chandora Codrington, watching it all unfold was equal parts pride and nerves.
"I am super excited for her. I'm proud of her," Codrington said. "Last year was a tough year, so to come back this year with a different mindset and say, 'I'm not leaving Iowa without becoming All-American' — she did exactly that. The conditions were tough. But for her to come out knowing she did it, I'm super proud of her."
Her success has resonated on campus, too. LMSW principal Dr. Dallas Horne said Nia's achievements reflect the effort she pours in every day.
"It makes us extremely proud of her and the work that she puts in," Dr. Horne said. "It's obvious that she excels at track, but she's also a great student, which makes it even more exciting to have her on campus and have her be a part of Life Middle School."
As for what's next, Nia has her sights set well beyond middle school. She hopes to run at a major track program, naming Texas Southern University and the University of Houston among the schools on her mind. And the Junior Olympics? She plans to be back.
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Life School is a tuition-free, public charter school with campuses in Cedar Hill, Dallas (Oak Cliff, Mountain Creek), Lancaster, Red Oak and Waxahachie, TX. Life School develops leaders with life skills through strong academics, character training, and partnerships with parents and the community. Its mission is accomplished in part through the financial support of donors who provide scholarships to help make students ready to learn, ready to lead and ready for life.
Parents who are interested in enrollment can visit lifeschool.net/learn-about-life. Partners who would like to support Life School financially can give online at lifeschool.net/give.
