CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Eastlake High School new graduate Mariana Barr is preparing to ride into her future after overcoming physical pain in her past.
Barr is an avid mountain biker, but riding isn’t something that always interested her until something changed her life a few years ago.
“In sixth grade, I started having feet issues. I had abnormal tissue connections that occurred from birth but manifested into intense pain,” Barr said.
She needed numerous surgeries, and complications forced her to be off her feet for weeks at a time.
“I was in the hospital a lot. I missed a lot of school and a lot of those issues occurred when COVID happened, which led to me falling into a bit of a hole,” Barr said.
A suggestion from her dad helped her get out of the hole.
“My dad, who has mountain biked since he was a kid, recommended it to me,” Barr said. “He told me to try it once.”
Once turned into a passion, and mountain biking became a huge part of Barr’s life. She began riding for her high school team and served as a teen ambassador for the California Mountain Biking Coalition.
“We advocate for trail accessibility and trail use throughout California,” Barr said.
She volunteers with youth teams and plans to coach in college.
While her pain hasn’t fully gone away, she figures out a way to manage it while she rides.
“I still don’t really run or do a lot of intense activity on my feet,” she told ABC 10News.
In the fall, Barr -- who has a 4.43 GPA -- will be attending Scripps College, a small private school in Los Angeles County where she plans to study economics or engineering.
She’s received tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships for her leadership in addition to grants.
Barr said she is most looking forward to a “heightened level of education” in college.
