From a young age, Aja Evans was inspired by her family’s legacy in sports and evolved into a powerhouse athlete of her own. The Chicago native began her journey in sports as a track & field athlete at Morgan Park High School. She went on to study Sport Management at the University of Illinois and became a five-time All-American and three-time Big Ten Champion.
Following her successful college career, Evans set her sights on the Olympics and began training for bobsledding in 2012. Within two years, her speed and strength catapulted her onto Team USA. She won bronze in the 2014 Winter Olympics and competed again in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Evans retired from the sport and soon returned within a year of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. She quickly trained and competed to make her return to the National team in 2021 before meeting with a training accident that left her hospitalized two months before the games in Beijing.
Through perseverance and determination, Evans recovered quickly, she shared her journey with fans and the world, resumed her training schedule and ultimately made the Olympic team again. Despite the odds, Evans became one of the key faces of the Winter Olympics through endorsement deals with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, Ralph Lauren, Procter & Gamble, and Reign Energy Drink. Having been featured in ads, billboards and several dozen media outlets including The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and The Today Show, nothing is as rewarding for her as being able to empower children, young female athletes and women to trust themselves and embrace their journeys.
Appointed as an athlete ambassador for the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by Billie Jean King, Evans serves on the Athlete Advisory Panel and is an ally and catalyst enabling girls and women to reach their potential in sport and in life. Her advocacy extends to her own Aspiring Journeys Ahead, the A.J.A. Foundation, which produces the Beauty & The Beast Mode empowerment conference and speaking events throughout public schools in her hometown. The event celebrates and highlights girls and women from different walks of life who get an opportunity to discover we all have more struggles and desires in common than not. Beauty & The Beast Mode shines a light on the resources available for young female athletes to pursue their dreams becoming anything they want to be.
Evans is a recipient of the 2020 Yolanda Jackson Give Back Award and she is currently in production to star in a streaming series about her journey.
