The 2022 Senior Perspectives is the 17th 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.

Sharelle Samuel
Hometown: Nepean, Ontario
Concentration: Economics
House Affiliation: Adams

When reflecting back on my experience at Harvard Athletics, and more specifically Harvard track and field, I cannot be more grateful to have earned "my team for life".  Joining the Harvard track and field team was something that both excited and frightened me at the same time. For one, I was well aware that I would have to adapt to training consecutively, during a packed weekly schedule – something that I was able to avoid while in high school. On the other hand, I feared that I was not exactly what a Harvard student-athlete should be and/or represent. These thoughts quickly evaded when I arrived on campus, as I was welcomed with open arms. While I can still vividly remember crying to my roommate "I'm so sore" every day during the first two weeks of training, I can also vividly remember how much the track and field team changed me during my first year. 
 
What people forget to tell you when you go away to play college sports is that you are not just leaving home and starting anew, you are also exposed to a new living environment, with new people, new coaches and trainers, new facilities, a new workload and most importantly a new gained sense of self responsibility and maturity. You must navigate all of these new circumstances while also lacking the support of the family and friends that you left behind at home. Regardless, there is an immense level of personal development that we all go through, that no one can truly prepare you for.
 
For me personally, while adjusting to Harvard itself presented me with a great number of lessons and opportunities, nothing can compare to all that I gained through my experience within Harvard Athletics. Harvard Athletics gave me a voice and taught me how to speak up. I grew more comfortable and confident in being able to express ideas that sometimes opposed what others would expect. Through my athletic experience, I found myself becoming more comfortable with volunteering my ideas, applying for positions I would have previously thought I never deserved and ultimately seeking different avenues in which I could use my voice to advocate on the behalf of my peers. 
 
The Harvard Athletics experience provided me with the opportunity to meet and connect with so many wonderful individuals with varying upbringings, hometowns and interests. It has been a true privilege to be a part of the track and field team in which so many unique identities and loving teammates have exposed me to a wide array of perceptions and learnings one could not gather from the classroom. 
 
I want to thank my friends, teammates, coaches, trainers and directors for truly providing me with an "unrivaled experience". They have helped mold me into the person I am today, and will be instrumental in orienting the individual I still hope to become. With continued growth, I hope to share what I have learned with those who follow. I can now say with confidence that I will no longer limit myself due to fear.