Rosalie Fish, a senior distance runner at Washington, is a beacon of light to young Native American girls, especially to those from the area where she grew up.
A member of the Cowlitz Tribe and a descendant of members of the Muckleshoot Tribe in Washington state, Fish has generated national attention by painting a red handprint across her face and the letters "MMIW" on her leg during select competitions, bringing attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women. In 2019, she gave a TED Talk on the subject.
Her work's reach and impact have continued to expand as a member of the women's track and field team at Washington, where she was introduced to a therapist and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. Mental health advocacy is now among her priorities, along with pushing for LGBTQ+ inclusion in college sports.
Fish has been featured for her efforts in Seattle Met, The Ringer, PopSugar, Runner's World and elsewhere. A social welfare major who plans to continue her advocacy by pursuing a Master of Social Work degree and graduate certificate in American Indian studies, Fish was selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship in April 2022. The scholarship is awarded nationwide to students on the basis of leadership skills, civic engagement, academic potential and a desire to pursue a career in public service. It includes up to $30,000 for graduate school, mentoring and additional benefits to help prepare them for careers where they can make an impact. In October, she received the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award from the Women's Sports Foundation. It recognizes female athletes or teams exhibiting extraordinary courage in their athletic performance, demonstrating the ability to overcome adversity, making significant contributions to sports and serving as a role model.
Fish also attended and was a featured speaker at the NCAA Inclusion Forum in April, after which she sat down with NCAA communications for an interview. As the NCAA and its members celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November, Fish shares how being a student-athlete has provided a platform for her advocacy efforts, the type of impact she's seen from her work and insight into her mental health journey.
How has being a runner impacted your life?
Running has given me a platform to represent my community, to represent my identities, especially being an LGBTQ Native American woman. Being an athlete and a runner gives me the space to unapologetically represent these identities and to give people who have the same identities as me someone to look up to … to demonstrate to all Native girls around Washington state and the country that we belong in college sports.
How have you raised awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and tried to impact your community?
Running for missing and murdered Indigenous women and people gives these communities and these families a voice because, unfortunately, missing and murdered Indigenous women and violence against Indigenous people has been happening for centuries, and we've been neglected and ignored. So by using my platform as an athlete and as a runner, I can help these families feel visible and seen and give our entire community a voice and a bigger platform.
What has been the impact of sharing your TED Talk on running for missing and murdered Indigenous women?
I've seen a bit of an awareness increase within my local area and my community, because even though Indigenous women and Indigenous matriarchs within my area have been speaking about this for generations, by adding to the fight and creating an environment where athletes are allowed, able and even encouraged to represent our identities and represent the concerns that our communities face can be super empowering. The Tulalip Tribal School, which is a school on a Native American reservation about an hour from the University of Washington, they had a parent who called me and said their middle school girls started a cross country team because when they saw me sign my athletic letter of intent to the University of Washington, they told the parent that they didn't know that we could do that. That is the power of proximity.
Can you expand on that? What does the power of proximity mean to you?
When I talk about the power of proximity, I do think directly about my community. What does it mean when I was the first student-athlete from my tribal high school to sign a letter of intent? It means that when I come back to my hometown and I'm anywhere within my tribe or reservation, a student from my tribal school might come up and tell me their new PR in track. There have only been three state champions in my tribal high school, all of which are from women's track and field, and the power of proximity to me is showing all of those young Indigenous girls who want to be athletes that not only can we be athletes in our sports but we can be state champions. Even though sometimes it might feel like we're alone in DEI work, I have an incredible community to reach into. It reminds me of just how powerful we can be when we move together.
Why is it important for student-athletes to speak up about mental health awareness?
I think almost everybody has an experience with mental health. Even if you don't personally, you know someone who has. There are a lot of stigmas around sports that we have to be our strongest selves, our most impenetrable selves, and speaking up about mental health not only normalizes the fact that we all have some kind of experience with it but also demonstrates that I can be strong and I can be competitive while also still being open and honest about my mental health.
What have you personally learned about navigating mental health during your time as a student-athlete?
I'm really fortunate to go to a university that does invest in mental health resources and that treats mental health disabilities or concerns as just as valid as physical health concerns. I experienced one of my first real therapists at the University of Washington, who was very invested in me, who actually diagnosed my disabilities and then helped connect me to disability services. While I've been navigating my mental health, especially at the University of Washington, I've learned that not only is it OK to be me and to acknowledge and even embrace my bipolar disorder and my PTSD but also the power of being vulnerable with that and the ability I have to connect with other student-athletes and other youth around the country, that we can be athletes and we can also be attentive and accepting of our mental health.
