NYPD commissioner mentors teen girls in running, helps them finish first 5K

By Joanna Putman
Police1

NEW YORK — NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella has taken on a new role as a mentor to girls passionate about running, the New York Post reported.

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On Aug. 10, nearly 30 teens participated in their first 5K race under her guidance, according to the report.

Kinsella, 43, the police department’s first female deputy commissioner and the first Black woman to hold the position, mentored the high school girls as part of the New York Road Runners Run for the Future program. The Bronx native aimed to inspire the next generation “to dream big and to do big things,” according to the report.

“When I was a young girl in the Bronx, I never thought my world would be outside the Bronx and with these girls — I feel like I see myself in them,” Kinsella said. “It’s important for these young girls to see people that look like them, that’s from where they’re from, that are in positions in city government and even private sectors.”

Approximately 5,000 runners, including Kinsella and her mentees, participated in the Percy Sutton 5K road race on a hot and humid morning.

Kinsella, an experienced long distance runner with nearly 60 Road Runners races and multiple marathons under her belt, described the program as a chance to share a “gift to her life.” She ran alongside 16-year-old Rukayat Tali, helping her cross the finish line with a time of 29:56.

“She was amazing,” Tali said of Kinsella. “She really did push me and I appreciated her a lot.”

Angelica Gervais, 18, also participated in her first race, expressing admiration for Kinsella’s mentorship.

“She’s so bold and bright, and she shows young women that we can accomplish anything we want,” Gervais said.