Growing up, Alexandria Anderson was surrounded by the philosophy of public service.

“I come from a family who has always believed in service and being involved in your neighborhood, in your city,” Anderson said.

Anderson, a Texas Athletics Hall of Honor member, announced her campaign for Austin City Council District 1 earlier this year.

After graduating from Chicago’s Morgan Park High School and committing to run track at Texas, Anderson began her student-athlete career in the fall of 2005. Originally hoping to pursue medical school after her undergraduate career, the time commitment demanded of a student-athlete soon materialized.

“I’m on the track team,” Anderson told her biology professor. “I may have to miss some of the classes.” The professor, however, didn’t sugar-coat her response. “Well, if that’s the case, you might as well just drop my class,” the professor said.

Realizing she would need to make a change if she wanted to succeed on the track and in the classroom, Anderson re-declared as a corporate communication major.

Without the added stress of missing class, Anderson found a balance between school and athletics. She was able to join clubs, meet new people and pursue academic excellence.

“I was very intentional about having an overall intentional, holistic collegiate experience,” Anderson said.

Graduating from Texas in 2009, Anderson continued to pursue track. She competed internationally for Nike in track and field until 2016.

“When I retired (from running), I was like, okay, ‘I’m gonna chill for a couple of months,’” said Anderson. “That did not last long.”

From there, she decided to launch her own health and wellness business, Essential Fitness ATX, in 2018.

Anderson soon felt an urge to reintegrate public service into her daily life. She became involved in community groups such as the Austin Neighborhoods Council, the MLK Neighborhood Association of East Austin and others.

“My experience with public service in Austin has been very eye-opening,” Anderson said. “I remember … trying to galvanize my neighbors like, ‘Hey, let’s go down (to city hall) and speak, … let’s set up meetings.’ And hearing a lot of them say, ‘We’re not gonna waste time, … we’ve been saying these things for decades, and no one cares.’ … They didn’t feel empowered.”

She is aiming to increase accountability and transparency within city departments that she believes can be confusing for average citizens.

The Austin City Council elections will take place in November.