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.

Oliver Cordeiro
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Concentration: Economics
House Affiliation: Pforzheimer House

I entered Harvard with few aspirations of varsity athletics. I enjoyed playing sports recreationally and through IMs but ultimately felt that a large part of my life up until that point was missing. One year after first stepping foot on campus, I stood on the first tee of my tryout for the golf team – more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. Eighteen months later, I proudly accepted the role of captain, on Zoom in the middle of the pandemic.
 
Another eighteen months later I finally set foot on the course again, competing in my senior season – four full years after first walking through Johnston Gate. Athletics at Harvard have greatly changed the way I perceive my life on campus. I spend many hours each week with an amazingly tight knit community brought together by a powerful passion: love for the game of golf. I have learned so much from my teammates. Through them I have come to appreciate every moment of our shared journey. Over the past four years, we have shared countless laughs and memories. These moments are what I will cherish most when I look back on my years with the team.
 
Golf is an unpredictable and temperamental game. At Harvard, I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Before the pandemic, I had played in most every tournament and achieved results I could have never imagined. In the season since, I admittedly struggled and my role on the team went from that of a regular starter to a supporting position. I gained a new understanding of myself and the ways in which I could contribute to the success of the team. I learned how to support the successes of my teammates even while faced with the shortcomings of my own game.
 
I leave this team with a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the coaching staff for taking a chance on a kid with nothing more than a passion for this game. Gratitude for the training and medical teams for their tireless support. And most importantly, gratitude for the seven years of teammates that have shared this experience with me. I can confidently say that I will always look back fondly on my time as part of the Harvard athletics community. I am forever grateful to Harvard and the Golf Program for a lifetime of laughs, memories, and friendships.