In the winter of 2007, JuaShaunna Kelly (“Sister Zakiyah”) set her intentions to build an athletic organization for Muslimah athletes. At this point, she had run track and cross country competitively for nearly 7 years and faced many challenges due to covering.
Her biggest jihad began the day after Gatorade named her the 2007-2008 DC Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. She was the first high school girl in DC to receive the award. JuaShaunna had been questioned about her attire at most track meets, but she was prohibited from competing at one where she sought to catch the attention of college recruiters. This unprecedented event made national headlines and JuaShaunna temporarily quit running due to the Islamophobic threats she received afterward. When she returned to the track and got back in shape (mentally/physically), she performed well enough to secure a full Division I athletic scholarship and was named the 2007-2008 DC Athlete of the Year for Girls Track and Field by Gatorade. This made her the first high school runner ever in Washington DC to receive both awards from Gatorade during the same school year. When it was time to declare a college major, she selected Sport Management with a minor in Business Administration.
JuaShaunna completed her bachelors degree in 2014. Her 4-year college journey evolved into a 6-year experience after she transferred schools. By this time, she was married and starting a family. While prioritizing marriage and motherhood, JuaShaunna continued to be a guide for 8 of her 11 siblings who did sports and experienced their own set of faith-based challenges in the midst of their success. She also spent years working with Muslimah youth in Washington DC before her family relocated to Richmond, VA 2023.
Though many things have improved as society becomes more “inclusive”, I believe there are still huge gaps in Muslim girls playing sports, and I created Modest Strides to help bridge them. – JuaShaunna
JuaShaunna aims to build interpersonal relationships with families to instill the level of Ihsan needed for Muslimah youth athletes to maintain a close relationship with Allah SWT through their academic, athletic, and social pursuits in life. By striving for Ihsan, JuaShaunna believes that Muslimah youth athletes can create a life of purpose, sincerity, and excellence that aligns with the pleasure of Allah.
Aside from fulfilling the mission of Modest Strides, JuaShaunna primarily spends her time homeschooling her children and seasonally trains for races. She is a life long learner currently pursuing her PhD in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology. She is also a certified USA Track and Field coach and has an US Soccer Grassroots license for coaching U6-U12.
If you’d like to support the mission of Modest Strides, please make a donation to assist with providing athletic and mentorship programs for Muslimah youth athletes.
