Saudi Arabian Track and Field Record-Breaker, Alya Alghamdi, Teams with Scholastic Book Fairs to Donate Over 500 Books to Underserved Students

LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Record-breaking track and field athlete, and fervent sports advocate, Alya Alghamdi, has teamed up with Scholastic Book Fairs, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, to donate over 500 books for all 8^th grade students at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School in Dallas, TX.

Every 8^th grade student will receive four books, a Scholastic #BookJoy tote bag, a bookmark, an invisible ink pen, and a personal note from Alya about the importance of perseverance and dedication. 

99% of Zumwalt's students are Title 1 (low-income family) students. Alya, who has a strong connection with Dallas, TX, wants to make sure these students have access to educational resources they may not otherwise have been able to receive.

"My mission with this donation is to encourage kids to push the limit of what they believe is possible in their education and in their sports," explains Alya Alghamdi. "Your life is not defined by the circumstances into which you were born. Having grown up as a young girl in Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to play sports, I know what it feels like to start at a disadvantage, but my devotion to my sport has helped me overcome every single obstacle I've faced." 

Mallory Butler, Senior Associate with Scholastic Book Fairs, stated, "We're very grateful for Alya's dedication to supporting literacy for underserved students. We know that when students are able to own books to read and enjoy, they're building a solid foundation for education, and they're more likely to graduate from school and go on to achieve additional life goals."

As a fierce advocate for sports equality, uplifting underserved student athletes is an integral goal in Alya's donation. To further encourage dedication and hard work among these students, Alya will be gifting 10 brand new laptops to five students (at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School) who have the highest GPAs with no sports affiliations, and five students with the highest GPAs who are athletes. 

"It is extremely important to me to include sports in everything I do," Alya Alghamdi says. "Balancing sports and education is not an easy task, so I want to be sure to reward student athletes who maintain high GPAs, while also honoring other students who may not excel in sports but shine in their academics."

For more information or to interview Alya Alghamdi, contact Eileen Koch of EKC PR, a full-service Branding, Digital Marketing and Public Relations firm at 310-441-1000 or [email protected]

About Alya Alghamdi

Originally born in Saudi Arabia but now living in America, Alya Alghamdi is currently training for the Olympics. Her mission as a track and field athlete is to compete for her home country at the 2021 games in Tokyo.

Despite having a privileged childhood in Saudi Arabia, Alya longed for a life beyond what material goods could provide because her fulfillment came from a place of purpose. Unfortunately, Alya's potential as an athlete went untapped for many years due to the fact that Saudi Arabia did not allow women to go to the gym or join sports teams.

Still, her fearlessness was foundational and eventually Alya departed for Europe and later America, where she was finally able to explore her true passion of running. Alya trained for marathons, climbed Mount Everest, and learned how to surf and skateboard, eventually setting her sights on becoming an Olympian.

SOURCE Alya Alghamdi