But that doesn’t mean she needs to run away from her original love.
“I came to a point where you think, ‘Do I have to make a choice?'” she admitted. “And I thought, No, because I’ve never had to choose before. I’ve always been able to pursue exactly what I wanted to do and I’ve always been able to do it all, and so I told myself, I’m going to do it all! I’m going to utilize this master’s and work on this health equity stuff that I love, and help make an impact on the community while also running on the track.”
For Thomas that means leaning into opportunities like the chance to partner with Eli Lilly and Company—the health equity sponsor of Team USA.
Given her areas of expertise, she was particularly drawn to the brand’s “work to increase diversity in clinical trials and expanding education and employment opportunities for people in historically marginalized communities,” noted Thomas. “It’s just been really important to me, I dedicate a lot of my time off the track to this purpose and this is something that I’ve been passionate about through high school, through college, and even through my master’s, so I’m really excited.”