There may come a day when Allyria McBride stands atop a podium, Olympic medal around her neck, listening to the final strains of the national anthem fade away. And in this moment of personal fulfillment, with the eyes of the world on her, it is entirely conceivable, perhaps even probable, that she will turn to officials and ask if they have any plans for the decorative bunting.
After all, someone could really turn all that fabric into something useful—maybe next year’s fashion hit or clothing for a worthy cause.
If anyone dares hint it will end up in the trash, she might well return the medal in disgust.
“Faster, higher, stronger,” the original Olympic motto, explains much about McBride. As a first-year student-athlete specializing in the 400-meter hurdles, she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earned All-America honors. Over the summer, she won a silver medal in the USA Track and Field Under-20 Championships and later a bronze against the hemisphere’s best in the Pan-American Under-20 Championships. As Vanderbilt begins its indoor track and field season by hosting this weekend’s Commodore Challenge, the sophomore from Marietta, Georgia, will look to take the next step toward SEC, NCAA and even world goals.
But three words aren’t nearly enough to wrap your mind around such an ebullient, inquisitive and ultimately hopeful person. You need at least three more to understand McBride, and why Nashville proved the ideal place for her to pursue her full potential. They’re another ubiquitous motto, and she learned them almost before she could run: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Attracted to Vanderbilt by the opportunity to learn from head coach and former hurdler Althea Thomas and by the university’s environmental sociology major, McBride is committed to protecting the world around her. Just ask teammates and coaches, whose smallest wasteful habits aren’t spared her reproachful looks and lectures. An avid sewist and crafter who teaches others those skills at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, she is transforming what began as a hobby into future innovation in sustainable fashion.
Whether one hurdle or one stitch at a time, she’s in a hurry to make her presence felt.
“I want to change the world—that’s why I’m very passionate about my major,” said McBride, the earnestness of the sentiment softened by the wide smile and tongue in cheek sentiment that followed. “You can honestly ask…