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. Today, we launch a new web series titled Senior Reflections. Stay tuned each day for more reflections from our senior class.
First up in our Senior Reflections is Courtney Lima (New Bedford, Mass.) from women's lacrosse:
Major: Elementary Education
Favorite Thing About Your Sport: My favorite thing about my sport is the friendships it has given me. Playing a collegiate sport has given me the support system and family everyone so desperately needs while away at school. It has given me relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Favorite Moment on the Field With the Colonels: My favorite moment was beating Western New England 16-15 with 41 seconds left in our final regular-season game last season. That moment of happiness and celebration is something I will never forget.
What Has Being a Student-Athlete Taught You: Being a student-athlete has taught me how to prioritize, time manage, communicate, dedicate and how to work in a team, but above all, it has taught me perseverance and the appreciation of opportunities. As much as things may seem hard; those full-field sprints or waking up for 8 a.m. classes after an 8-10 p.m. practice the night before, at the end of the day, being a student-athlete has taught me to just keep on keeping on. Everything you do in preparation for each game only makes you better, whether you hate it in the moment or not, you must persevere. Opportunity is one of the most important lessons I have learned. At the end of the day, it's all you. You must take advantage of each and every opportunity a coach gives you to show what you've got. Being a student-athlete has taught me that it is okay to fail sometimes, but what is more important is picking yourself back up and making the absolute most of the next opportunity you are presented with.
What You'll Miss Most About Your Team, Curry, and Being a Student-Athlete: I will miss being with my teammates on a daily basis, going through the ups and downs with them. The sing-alongs on bus-rides, pre-games in the locker room, and overall being part of a team that has given me 20-plus sisters I could go to for anything.
Plans Post-Graduation and How Being a Student-Athlete Has Prepared You For Your Future Career Goals: I plan on becoming an Elementary School teacher and potentially trying to coach youth lacrosse in my town. Being a student-athlete has inspired me to coach youth lacrosse and get young girls to have similar experiences that I did and love the sport. Being a student-athlete has also prepared me for my work as an educator by teaching me the very valuable lessons I mentioned above. I will take that and all my knowledge of what it is to be a "teammate" and apply it to my job while I collaborate with other teachers, administrators, parents, specialists, etc. Being a student-athlete has set me up for success in my career as a teacher.
What Advice Would You Give to Future Colonel Student-Athletes: My advice for future Colonel student-athletes is to NEVER take your time on the field, at practice, or with your teammates for granted. Whether it be while you are doing conditioning or doing a fun drill, appreciate it. My senior season was cut short and taken from me and it was out of my control. This is something nobody expected, especially myself, and I wish more than anything that I could have these last couple months with my teammates. With that said, appreciate each moment because you really never know if it is your last time stepping out on the field with your best friends playing the sport you love. It sounds cliché, but this situation really put that into perspective for me.
Keep an eye on curryathletics.com for more Senior Reflections!
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