“It was a hunger for activism that started me on my athletic journey.
A bike tour around New England, fundraising and advocating for affordable housing? Sign me up! Mind you, 19-year-old me could barely shift gears. I bought a road bike with the last of my savings, without a mentor or much guidance—and plenty of people doubted I could do it.
Despite that, I biked 900 miles from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Brooklyn, New York, with the nonprofit Bike & Build, which engages young adults in cycling trips to raise funds and awareness for affordable housing. Along the way, we stopped to work on housing sites in towns across the route.
Two years later, I completed another tour—four times the distance—from Jacksonville, Florida, to Santa Cruz, California, pedaling with more confidence.
In 2020, I graduated from Bloomsburg University with degrees in environmental science and research anthropology. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed my post-graduation plans, so I applied for AmeriCorps VISTA positions and committed to going wherever the work took me. That October, I moved to Salt Lake City to join Housing Connect, Salt Lake County’s housing authority. What I thought would be one year turned into more when I was offered a full-time position—and discovered the beauty of Utah’s mountains.
After two years, I joined First Step House, a nonprofit supporting people navigating substance use and mental health challenges. There, I met Raven James, executive director of Power Forward Utah, which provides sober living scholarships and food assistance to people in recovery.
When Bike & Build closed in 2023, I wanted to keep their mission alive. Partnering with Power Forward Utah, I completed a 107-mile solo bike ride with over 9,000 feet of elevation gain, looping Emigration Canyon multiple times. We raised more than $8,000, directly benefiting clients I’d worked with. It was a surreal, full-circle moment.
Soon after, I applied to the University of Utah’s MSW Program, where I’m now entering my final year. Professors Michael Babcock and Mariah Cowell Mercier have inspired me to continue my advocacy work—their passion is contagious.
Currently, I’m training for three big events: a 27-mile trail race in August, a solo 50K ultramarathon in Salt Lake City this September, and the 2025 New York City Marathon. I’ll be running to raise funds for the Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation, which serves low-income families in the Bronx with affordable housing, child care, youth programs and counseling.
People often ask why I take on these challenges. The answer: I want to be the person I needed when I was younger—the role model I didn’t have. I faced significant adversity growing up. My mom was my anchor, but it’s powerful to have someone outside your immediate world who makes you think, If they made it, maybe I can too.
I share my endurance sports and advocacy journey on Instagram and Facebook @ericagebbia, and I’ll post my ultramarathon route in September for anyone who wants to join—or cheer me on from the sidelines.”
—Erica Gebbia, Second-Year Master of Social Work (MSW) Student
Read more about Gebbia and her athletic advocacy pursuits on the College of Social Work’s blog.