The 2020 Senior Perspectives is the 15th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard.

Jackie Cuccurullo
Hometown: Smithtown, N.Y.
Concentration: Human Evolutionary Biology
House Affiliation: Kirkland

I think that it's difficult to put into words the emotions that I, and my fellow senior classmates, have been dealing with these past few weeks. As a member of the class of 2020, my senior year was abruptly ended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the end of my senior year came the end of my final season on the Harvard Women's Lacrosse team. Two things that I never imagined could be taken away from me, my senior year and my senior season, were stripped away in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, I was left with five days to live out the rest of my time at Harvard. Times like this call for reflection.

I am called to reflect upon my career as an athlete. Growing up, my parents always told me, "sports imitates life," and as I look back upon my time playing lacrosse at Harvard, I can attest to the truth in those words. In my four years on the team, I've learned that it's important to be adaptable. Our coaching staff was different for every year that I was a player, and this required me to build new relationships and mold myself into the player that my coaches needed me to be. Plasticity is key in sports, just as it is in life. Additionally, from my time as a Harvard lacrosse player, I've learned the importance of perseverance. Life as a student-athlete was rarely easy. From failed run tests, to a lack of playing time, to Summer Dawg mornings, to nights with minimal hours of sleep, being a Division I athlete at Harvard was no joke. During those dark moments, however, my sport and my team forced me to pick myself up and power through. They served as my reminder after running to take my hands off of my knees, take a deep breath, and step up to the line, ready for the next sprint. On the field, as well as off the field, I've learned that no matter what obstacles come my way, it's important to brush myself off and step up to the line again. Finally, Harvard Lacrosse has shown me that with passion and hard work, nearly anything is possible. At one point in my life, the idea of playing the sport that I love at the greatest university in the world would have seemed straight out of a dream; however, years later, I am proud to say that I have lived out this dream and I have reaped the benefits of my hard work on the field and in the classroom. Hard work and passion got me to Harvard, and I am confident that they will help me to achieve my dreams for the future.

I am also called to reflect upon the relationships that I've created over the past four years. Although faces came and went, I think it is remarkable to say that during my four years of college, I had 30 of my best friends by my side every day. From freshman year to senior year, there was never a dull moment when it came to the Harvard Women's Lacrosse team. I'll never forget the pre-game beet juice shots, family tailgates, the nights that ended at Jefe's, the morning scrambles if someone forgot to wake up, and I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to "Shots" by LMFAO the same way ever again. The women that make up Harvard Women's Lacrosse are passionate, funny, kind-hearted, fiercely loyal, and unapologetically themselves, and I am so blessed to call them my family. I'm thankful for Bridget, Hannah, Julia, Katie, Kristin, Sara, and Tate, who have been on this crazy journey with me since day one and have forever changed my life for the better. Our "Everyone up?" text messages every morning for practice for the past four years make it plain and simple that our class was something special. I'm also thankful for my parents, who have supported me since the beginning, and for my brother, who is a member of the Harvard Men's Lacrosse team. I was lucky enough to experience Harvard with my entire family, and it's safe to say that we are a Crimson family through and through.

Although my senior year at Harvard was cut short, I am unbelievably grateful for the time that I had. The lessons that I've learned from lacrosse and the friendships that I've made at Harvard will never fade, and I believe this to be a special quality of the Harvard Women's Lacrosse team. I am excited to take these experiences into the next stage of my life, and I'll always know that my teammates have my back.