CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Meet Rhianna Rich, a proud member of the Class of 2019. During her time at Harvard, Rhianna lived in Mather House and concentrated in Neuroscience with a secondary in the History of Science. Alongside competing with Harvard Softball, she was active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), contributing to the broader student-athlete community on campus. Rhianna is currently pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at UCLA, a path that was shaped in many ways by her experiences with Harvard Softball. She explains that being part of HSB helped her build confidence and taught her how to make difficult decisions with integrity. While the program helped her grow as a person, it was her teammates, coaches, staff, and fans who taught her that relationships are what truly make life meaningful. Being part of the team also sparked her interest in the mental side of sports and performance, which eventually led her to focus on mental health in her career. When Rhianna looks back on her favorite memories, she realizes it is the moments in between the games that she treasures most. She fondly remembers team traditions, bonding in the locker room, tough workouts, study and homework sessions together, shared meals, and simply being surrounded by her closest friends. One particularly unforgettable memory happened during a rain delay when she watched the birth of her first nephew over FaceTime while sitting in the dugout with her teammates. Rhianna's advice to current Harvard Softball players is to 'invest in yourself academically, athletically and most of all, personally. The beauty of attending Harvard is the opportunities to cultivate your identities on the field, in the classroom and in life more broadly. Being a student-athlete at Harvard can be challenging, and you may feel pulled in different directions, but remind yourself that there are countless opportunities to explore and grow into the person you aspire to be."

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