Tess Michaelson
High School Honors
3 cross country letters: 8th in Metro Championships as a senior.
3 track & field letters: PIL champion in 400m and 4x400 relay as a sophomore; 2nd in state in both events. As a junior, PIL champion in 400m, 800m and 4x400 Relay; state champion inn 400m and 4x400m relay; 2nd place in 800m. As a senior, PIL champion in 400m and 800m, 2nd in 4x400m relay, 2nd in state 800m, 3rd in 4x400 relay. As a junior, ranked 10th in the nation in 800m.
Post-High School Career
Stanford University 2014-2018, B.A. degree in English. Three letters in track & field (800m runner).
AcademicHonors: Levinthal Poetry Fellow; Haas Education Achievement Fellow; staff writer for The Stanford Daily. Tutor for Dream Catchers, an education organization supporting underserved youth in Palo Alto.
Post College: Harper’s Magazine editorial sssistant, co-editor of Critical Correspondence. M.F.A. degree from Columbia University in Nonfiction Writing, 2021.
Presently writer/teacher for Uptown Stories, a non-profit creative writing program for middle and high school-age students in New York City; Master of Social Work candidate at Smith College for Social Work, Class of 2027.
Commentary
I came to Lincoln as a sophomore, knew one girl on the cross-country team and decided to join. My twin sister and I had transferred schools after a hard freshman year and wanted to make the transition as easy as possible. We were intimidated, shy, not knowing what to expect joining a school four times the size any we’d ever been a part of.
I have felt a sense of synchronicity with myself in running since I was little, joy in the clarity of the clip of my feet, the sense of agility I conjured in my body moving through the world as if briefly untouchable. I found my way back to running at Lincoln, supported by coaches and teammates who became a second home.
When I learned about my acceptance to run at Stanford, I went straight to the Lincoln track and ran a lap barefoot with a friend. My time running in college was marked by injury. I medically retired before my senior year. I was told many times to give up on running and always refused. Over time, I’ve found my way back into synchronicity with my body. Running has taught me this, to find power in flexibility, to move in conversation rather than alone.
Now I run every day in Central Park, often dreaming of Wildwood trail and cooldown laps around our home track on Wednesday nights. My journey has been winding and I will always be grateful for those who have supported me along the way: my family for their relentless care, my Lincoln coaches for their belief and guidance, and my teammates for teaching me how to lighten the load.
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