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FNW Senior Perspective Maria Theodore

Written Senior Perspectives

Written Senior Perspective - Maria Theodore, Fencing

The 2022 Senior Perspectives is the 18th 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.

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Maria Theodore

Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
Sport: Women's Fencing
Concentration: Classics
House: Leverett
 
With long days filled with classes, practice, extracurriculars, office hours and late-night study sessions, the perfect balance between academics and athletics felt like a constant juggling act. "How could I possibly dedicate 100 percent of myself to academics and athletics? I need more than 24 hours in a day!" I remember my first-year self thinking at how implausible and daunting it seemed. Standing at the finish line, I certify that it was undoubtedly challenging, but a rewarding process. In fact, my journey as a Division I varsity athlete became an experience that I would not have traded for any other and molded me into who I am today. 

My first few weeks at Harvard were, as many students would attest, overwhelming to say the least. Unfamiliar faces passed me each day as I walked from Weld through the yard to class. The familiar faces I had on campus were my teammates; I was, and still am, grateful for the instant family that the Harvard Fencing Team (HFT) provided to me. The impromptu smiles and waves across the yard, the coffee chats after a tough day, and those late Dunster dinners filled with laughter fostered the feeling of being taken under my teammates' wings. We call our team HFT, but easily, it is also HFF: the Harvard Fencing Family. I also sought to expand my circles through the Student Athlete Advisory Council and Undergraduate Women of Harvard Athletics, where I grew to bring light to many issues affecting female athletes and acted as a liaison to all student athletes. These organizations added another dimension to my Harvard athletic experience and cemented my sense of belonging. 

The sport itself, like other sports at Harvard, offered many real-life parallels. Time management has been the key to my success throughout these four years. The completion of labs, essays, or problem sets under the tiny overhead light on the bumpy and cramped bus and airplane rides for tournaments tested, but strengthened, my character, grit, and dedication. After those rides, I felt that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I also grew more decisive - this, in part, is reflected in the nature of the sport. Unless one would like to be slashed by a blade, one must think and act quickly. I grew more agile in unpredictable situations, and learned how to stay calm and confident in moments of pressure. But, at times, one may make the wrong decision, be struck by the opponent, and lose the point. The handling of loss, adversity, and learning to pivot will undoubtedly benefit me both personally and professionally. I'd like to end, aptly as a Classics concentrator, with the Latin phrase that I strive to achieve each day: "Mens sana in corpore sano" or "a sound mind in a sound body." The combination of athletics and academics at Harvard truly embodies this mantra; physical exercise and mental being are meant to be in equilibrium, a scale never tipping too far either way. As I bid farewell to college, I remain grateful for the opportunities and feel privileged to have represented Harvard at the highest level both academically and athletically. 
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Players Mentioned

Maria Theodore

Maria Theodore

Sabre
Senior

Players Mentioned

Maria Theodore

Maria Theodore

Senior
Sabre