S.T.A.R.S. In The News
By Sandra Chang | sraak@mlive.com
on October 25, 2012 at 2:16 PM, updated October 25, 2012 at 9:56 PM
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Aliya Armstrong looked in the mirror and said to herself “I am fat.”
The 36-year-old thought back to college when she was healthy and athletic, a lifestyle that changed when she obtained a full-time job and became a mother. And shortly after that moment, Armstrong read a statistic that 4 in 5 African-American women are overweight, a figure that spurred her to get moving.
Aliya Armstrong – Started Her Own Running Group
By Steven Bohner February 22, 2013 10:55 AM
My first attempt at completing a running event was training for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Grand Rapids Kids Marathon in 2011. I had always despised running, but I was excited to complete this training with my four-year-old daughter. The sad part? I could not even run a mile without stopping. I watched my daughter’s energy and excitement during our run practices, and I was so winded and jealous. What happened to the competitive cheerleader and very active woman I used to be? Did I lose it after birthing three children? This occurrence ignited a spark in me to start my own training for a 5k. I registered to complete the 5k race the same weekend as my daughter’s Kids Marathon.
Faculty, staff join STARS
Contact: Michele Coffill, Grand Valley State University Communications - 616-331-2221
Posted November 6, 2012
Several Grand Valley faculty and staff members have found support — and results — through their involvement with a new initiative that aims to keep African American women healthy.
Cassonya Carter, Brandi Berry-Lovelady and Tiesha Hogue-Shankin are members of STARS (Sisters Taking Action Reversing Statistics), a group of area African American women who exercise regularly to raise awareness of the health risks African Americans face such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Carter and Hogue-Shankin both learned of STARS through their sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Others in the group are connected through various churches. The group’s founder, Aliya Armstrong, is a Grand Valley alumna and member of AKA.
Moms get motivated to be healthy
By Maranda Published: April 13, 2015, 7:23 pm Updated: April 14, 2015, 8:32 am
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOTV) West Michigan families are making the change to live healthier, more active lives. Some of them dedicate themselves to this new lifestyle by becoming Priority Health Champions.
Champions for Team Priority Health is a team of people who want to share their story, attend some fun community events or races in the coming year, and spread the word about health and wellness.
Valissa Armstead and Aliya Armstrong are mothers who are getting active to live a healthier lifestyle and be role models for their family and their community. They will both be participating in the Gazelle Girl 5K on April 19 for the first time alongside their daughters.
Women Who Run This Town: Aliya Armstrong
By RICHELLE KIMBLE, Women's LifeStyle Magazine APRIL 6, 2015
After losing both of her parents before age 35, Aliya began a mission to start a new trend in her family: healthy eating and healthy living. She introduced herself to running through a Couch to 5K Class offered by the YMCA, and after completion, encouraged others in her family to get running. “I lost 40 pounds in one calendar year, but the real reward was having my daughter and my grandmother follow in my footsteps,” she said. Aliya now reaches out to over 45 other women through a group she developed called S.T.A.R.S. (Sisters Taking Action Reversing Statistics), and continues to motivate and encourage others to transform their lifestyle for good.