CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Recent Harvard softball graduate Brianna Jewett '23 reflects on her time at Harvard on the softball team and what it meant to her, as well as her post graduation trip to Europe with teammates Trina Hoang '23 and Mackenzie Tyler '23.
"I distinctly remember being in awe of Harvard Yard, Soldier's Field, and the walk across the Charles River on my unofficial visit to Harvard in 2015. I asked an assistant coach what her favorite thing was about Harvard, to which she replied that you are surrounded by people who are constantly pursuing excellence in everything they do. I immediately knew that Harvard was where I belonged because I wanted to pursue excellence in everything I did. Now, as a recent graduate of Harvard College, I realize that Harvard is so much more to me than just a place to earn an education and compete in my sport. Instead, it is all of the incredible people I've met, the unforgettable memories I made, and a transformative experience that has shaped me into the person I am today.
In the fall of 2018 when I stepped foot on campus as a first-year, I never would have imagined that it would take me five years to graduate, but I wouldn't change a single thing that has happened since then. While going away to college was a big adjustment, being sent home during a pandemic and not returning to campus for another eighteen months was an even bigger adjustment. Thankfully, through it all, I had the support of HSB, my second family. I never would have had the courage to take a gap year if it weren't for the guidance from my coaches and support from my teammates. That gap year led to an invaluable experience where I confirmed my desire to pursue a career in medicine. When I returned to campus in the fall of 2021, I was an upperclassman and I was elected captain alongside two of my senior teammates. Every moment that I spent on campus carried so much more significance as I recalled how easily it could all disappear. We all recognized what a tremendous privilege it is to wear a Harvard softball jersey and play for this program.
As any student-athlete knows, playing a college sport is mentally and physically challenging and exhausting. However, I would give anything to run the 7 innings conditioning test or walk across the river as the sun rises for a 6am workout in PD with my team just one more time. Not only was I given the opportunity to play the sport I love while pursuing my academic goals at a prestigious university, but I got to do it alongside teammates who will be my friends for life. One of the greatest moments of my softball career was hitting a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning against Yale this past spring season. I will never forget the feeling of my teammates embracing me on the field in a giant hug. That moment truly meant the world to me because I so badly wanted to come through for my teammates who have always shown me unconditional love on and off the field. Serving as captain of HSB for two years was the greatest honor of my life because it meant that the women who I admired and respected more than anyone else in the world had chosen me to lead them.
Despite the adversity that accompanied the past five years, I accomplished more than that fifteen year old girl on her unofficial visit could have ever imagined. During my final spring semester I submitted my senior thesis, accepted a job at MGH, won an Ivy League Championship, played in an NCAA Regional at the University of Arkansas, and celebrated graduation with my friends and family. Three days after graduation, I boarded a plane to Europe and spent the next five weeks traveling with teammates and friends who made Harvard feel like home. Some highlights from our trip include seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, sailing the Tagus River in Portugal, eating delicious tapas in Spain, swimming in Lake Geneva, snorkeling in the Blue Cave in Dubrovnik, making fresh pasta in Florence, and hiking along the coast in Cinque Terre. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I couldn't imagine doing it without my best friends from college.
While it is incredibly difficult and emotional to say goodbye to a place that has felt like home for five years, I am taking the memories and relationships with me into this next chapter of my life. I can proudly say that I pursued excellence during my time at Harvard, and I will continue to pursue excellence each day moving forward."
-Brianna Jewett '23
