MILTON, Mass. – Following the cancellation of the spring seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including Senior Days, the Curry College Athletic Department wanted to give the senior student-athletes time to reflect on their career with the Colonels.

We continue our Senior Reflection web series and today we have Caroline Johnson (Milton, Mass.) from the softball program:

Major: Community Education; minoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice

Favorite Thing About Your Sport: My favorite thing about softball is being able to play at the collegiate level and seeing hard work pay off.

Favorite Moment on the Field With the Colonels: My favorite/bittersweet moment on the field while with the Colonels would have to be my last game. This spring, our season was cut short very unexpectedly while we were on our spring training trip in Florida. We found out the night before that our season would be over the next day. For us three seniors, it was devastating news. We knew waking up that next morning that we were about to play our last college softball game and we were filled with emotions. When we got to the field, our teammates surprised us with posters, streamers, and balloons to make a Senior Day for us since we wouldn't have a Senior Day at our home field. We weren't expecting that at all and it was super sweet of them. It also made it seem more real. As the three seniors, including myself, approached the plate for each at bat, our team played our walk-up songs which was also pretty cool. It was like we were at home. The innings were passing by and in the back of our heads we knew that we were approaching the end a lot faster than anticipated. Although the outcomes of the games weren't what we wanted, we put up a fight in both games. This team means a lot to me and the other two seniors and what they did for us meant the world. This isn't the way I envisioned my last season going, but I wouldn't want to go through it with any other team.

What Being a Student-Athlete Has Taught You: Being a student-athlete taught me many different things such as leadership, teamwork, ownership, time management, commitment, and determination.

What You'll Miss Most About Your Team, Curry, and Being a Student-Athlete: What I will miss most about my team is the bond we have. We weren't just teammates, but family. I am going to miss spending almost every day with them. I am going to miss the spring weather and playing the game we love right after we get out of class or on the weekends and being a part of a great atmosphere. I will also miss the day-to-day interactions that I have with people within the Curry Community such as teachers, coaches, student center staff, and friends.

Plans Post-Graduation and How Being a Student-Athlete Has Prepared You For Your Future Career Goals: My plans post-graduation are to work with children who are struggling with real-life issues outside of school or criminal-behavior youth. Being a student-athlete has prepared me for the future because it has allowed to me to travel outside of my comfort zone and has helped me learn new things about myself. It has also given me new opportunities to take part in. In high school, I wasn't very social and I just stuck to my schoolwork and sports. I didn't really enjoy high school and wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Once I got to college, it was like I was always trying something new that I wouldn't have done before. During freshman year, I always kept my door open and was always trying to meet new people. Since then I have met a lot of individuals that have become friends and I continue to meet people day-to-day on campus. I had two friends in high school. It was nice to have a fresh new start someplace else. College has also given me many opportunities to take part in while being a student- athlete. My freshman year of college I joined SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and I have been a part of it all four years. My junior and senior year, I was President of SAAC. I never in a million years would have pictured myself taking part in something like this. It has taught me how to come together and listen to the needs and wants of my fellow student-athletes and how to help better the Curry College community. I helped plan an event to bring together student-athletes and non-athletes on campus which was called the Colonel Festival. We have welcomed in Special Olympics to play basketball in the Katz Gymnasium. We have taken part in Pay it Forward Day, which is a day doing kind acts across campus, etc. All of these things have brought the Curry College community together and it was awesome to be a part of them. I have learned to really take part in opportunities that cross my path, to not be afraid of what others may think of me, and to always put 110% into the things that I do in life. Life is way too short, so don't be afraid to take chances. College and being a student-athlete has prepared me for the future because, in college, I found myself and I found the things that make me happy. I have come out of my comfort zone and have pushed myself to take on new tasks. In the future, I will be able to take on new tasks at my job even if it is something that I am not familiar with. I will try my best to educate myself in the best ways possible so that I can do my job effectively. I will try to help these adolescents to the best of my ability and try to help them navigate through their challenges and be a support system for them. 

What Advice You Would Give to Future Colonel Student-Athletes: The advice that I would give to a future Colonel student-athlete or to any college athlete would be that it goes by fast, so treasure every moment. This includes those early morning workout sessions, those late-night practices, the long bus rides to away games, and everything in between. Work hard and take in every minute that you have playing the game you love. Push yourself to be better than you were during the previous practice, rep, game, or conditioning session. Another piece of advice I would give a future Colonel student-athlete or any college athlete is to really challenge yourself to take on opportunities that are thrown your way. Those opportunities can be within your sport, like trying a different position, or maybe having your number called to be a pinch hitter. Make sure you own it and put all your effort into it. If it is outside your sport and you're being asked if you would like to be a tour guide, a member of SAAC, or introducing a speaker, then take part in those opportunities. Embrace the challenges and new opportunities that coaches ask of you. They know what you might excel in, so trust and listen. Having been a Colonel student-athlete myself, I wouldn't have chosen any other route for my college athletic career. Curry has been my second home and I am forever grateful for the people, my teammates, and the Curry Community.

Check out our previous Senior Reflections:

Courtney Lima - Women's Lacrosse

Tyler Nadeau - Baseball

Michaela Colleran - Softball

Cameron Nigro - Men's Lacrosse

Abby Dubel - Women's Lacrosse

Adam Duarte - Baseball

Molly Horn - Softball

Sean Ford - Men's Lacrosse

Kayla Merritt - Women's Lacrosse

Jhonathan Oliveira - Baseball

Keep an eye on curryathletics.com for more Senior Reflections!

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