To begin with, Aly Raisman is a 3 time Olympic gold medal gymnast from Needham Massachusetts. She is 23 years old and has participated in the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as the 2016 Rio Olympics. Though she is best known for being a part of the gymnastics teams, “The Final Five” and the “The Fierce Five”, Raisman has also used her platform to do more positive things. She has campaigned for body positivity and acceptance despite thinking negatively of herself at one point in her life. More recently, she has continuously called out USA Gymnastics for their neglect in the Larry Nassar sexual assault issues. Aly Raisman is not only a hero to me, but a hero to countless women and girls all over the world because of her professionalism, her support of all people no matter what they look like, and her persistent efforts to clean up the USA Gymnastics organization.

Notably, Aly Raisman is an amazing athlete due to her hard work and perseverance. When Raisman is training for competitions she trains for more than 30 hours a week. Her hard work has gotten her to two Olympic Games which is an incredibly difficult feat for a gymnast (The record for most Olympic games attended is 7). In addition to competing in two Olympic games, Raisman has won six Olympic medals in total including three gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze. She inspires people to work hard at whatever they are trying to do and shows that hard work pays off in the long run. Next, Aly Raisman helps to spread body positivity due to her own struggle with insecurity. When she was younger Raisman was bullied because of her muscular arms and was called a “man”. These comments stuck with her until she realized that her arms are one of the reasons she has become one of the best gymnasts in the world. Now she tries to find ways to speak and empower people and help them gain confidence and happiness. Raisman said in an interview, “...It’s never about the number on the scale it's about how you feel. You are all unique and beautiful in your own way. No one is perfect.” She shows that even a highly successful person has insecurities and flaws which can help people realize that if an Olympic athlete has flaws then it is alright for them to have flaws too. In addition to this Raisman has used her confidence and determination to call out the USA Gymnastics organization for their neglect in the Larry Nassar assault cases. In spite of the fact that USA Gymnastics could send repercussions her way, Raisman has shown that the organization had not investigated past complaints about Nassar and that they did not background check him, despite many complaints, or fire him. Raisman has also challenged the Karolyi Ranch (the training center for elite gymnasts) which is a very influential part of the United States’s success in the Olympic games and world championships. She exposed the fact that the Karolyi’s did no background check on Nassar as well as not investigating the claims from other gymnasts that Nassar was doing his job incorrectly. When Aly Raisman came forth as one of Larry Nassar’s victims she showed that being a victim of abuse does not define who a person is and that it is not something to be ashamed of. She showed courage when she stood in front of him and looked him straight in the eye and said, at the end of her speech, “My dream is that one day everyone will know what the words, “me, too,” signify, but they will be educated and able to protect themselves from predators like Larry so that they will never, ever, ever have to say the words, “me, too.” With this word, Raisman showed not only the victims of Larry Nassar but victims of anything anywhere, that she supported them and that she was going to do everything in her power to make things better for them.

In conclusion, Aly Raisman is not only a role model but a hero for her work ethic and determination that made her one of the best gymnasts in the world, her inclusion of people and ability to spread positivity to those around her, as well as her perseverance and bravery when handling the Larry Nassar assault cases and her compassion towards the other victims of his abuse.