The 2021 Senior Perspectives is the 16th 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.

Chamberlain Mathis
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Concentration: Human Evolutionary Biology
House Affiliation: Mather

Harvard Athletics, and Harvard women's soccer specifically, brought me so much joy over my four years and helped me grow immensely as an athlete and as a person. Notably, my journey through HWS was an exercise in resilience.

My own path into HWS was unconventional (to say the least). I reached out to the coaches during Visitas (in April 2017) and, after a brief meeting, we agreed on a plan of action that would allow me the opportunity to showcase myself over that summer and try out for a managerial position (with possible practice privileges). Training that summer (before and after my unofficial tryout in June), I was filled with optimism and fueled by my determination to present my best self at preseason. At that time, I had no idea how wide the pendulum of my experience would swing.

Preseason is challenging for everyone, mentally and physically. That first August, I recognized I would not be the best player on the field, but I decided to control what I could: my fitness level (i.e. passing the beep test) and my attitude.

It just so happened that in the first weeks of training, multiple players faced injuries, and my effort had been noticed and appreciated by our coaches. In my first year, I quickly transitioned from being a manager to playing in 12 games (with starts in six). This was one extreme of my pendulum's arch.

Just as quickly as my run started, it ended—bringing me to the other side of my arch. Preseason my sophomore year took us to California, and despite coming in better than I was the year before, I did not play in our west coast games. While I was disheartened in the moment, this is likely where my personal growth really started.

For the remainder of my time with HWS, I focused on leading the team from the sidelines. I tried to model good behavior by enforcing good habits for our bench during games, being one of the first in the locker room before practice, actively engaging in team meetings, and helping with equipment. Additionally, I dove into supporting the broader female athlete community by being VP, and later President, of the Undergraduate Women of Harvard Athletics. As hard as it was not being on the field competing with my friends, I was determined to contribute to HWS and Athletics in any way I could.

While my time with HWS was not as glamorous as I would have liked, it far exceeded my expectations, and gave me more than I could have ever hoped. Over my four years, I have seen both players and coaches overcome challenges (on and off the field). Being a part of Harvard Athletics pushes people to realize how powerful they really are, and regardless of the obstacle, HWS is always stronger together.