A Student-Athlete's Perspective: Jessica Wright

A junior on Harvard's women's soccer team, Jessica Wright has career marks of a 6-2-0 record and 36 saves as a goalkeeper for the Crimson.

1. When you think of the history and accomplishments of African-Americans in our country, what jumps out in your mind?
Wright: When I think of the history and accomplishments of African-Americans in our country, I think of all of the achievements that have come about throughout history whether in the athletic world or just in general. Automatically, when someone mentions the accomplishments of African-Americans, automatically, Martin Luther King Jr. jumps into my mind but beyond that I think of all of the individuals who I have looked up to throughout my life. Like any person, at an early age I was continuously changing my goals and aspirations. But interestingly enough, most of the heroes I looked up to were African-Americans. When I was in kindergarten, I dreamed of being an astronaut so I did a lot of research on the first female African American to travel to space, Mae Jemison. When I started playing soccer at an early age I dreamed of being Brianna Scurry. So, when reflecting on the history and accomplishments of African-Americans in our country I most often reflect back on the individuals who I have looked up to throughout my life who have ultimately paved the way for who I am today.

2. What do you enjoy and what are the challenges in your current experiences as an African-American student-athlete on an Ivy League campus?
Wright: What I enjoy most about being an African-American student athlete is that it connects you to two worlds within the larger collegiate community. There is the athletics community as a whole, and also the African-American community at the university itself. When you enter college your freshman year it is really nice to have smaller community relations within the larger collegiate population.

3. As you reflect on Black History month, talk about one person who has influenced your life and why?
Wright: On a personal level reflecting on Black History Month, my mother is the strongest African American woman I know. When I was a child, she was the one who I always turned to in both good and bad times. She drove me across the country to every soccer practice, game, or tournament without a single complaint. She made arrangements in her own life in order to ensure that I could live out my dreams every day. She is currently the Vice President of a leading investment firm and I hope to be able to balance my life and achieve greatness as she has done so throughout her life.

4. What do you feel is your role in being a leader or role model as African-American student-athlete on your campus and in your communities both at school and at home?
Wright: I come from a predominately white neighborhood where I was one of about three African-American students. I was also one of very few African American females who participated in sports at my school. At the time, I do believe that I was oblivious to the significance of all that I was doing as both an African-American, and a female, with regard to my impact on my community. I think that my role as a leader is more significant in my community at home because of the already diverse community that exists here at Harvard. At home I feel as though I have proven to the minority students who don't often see the opportunities that are in front of them, that with hard work and dedication,  whether it be in sports or another hobby, that they too can work hard and strive to be the best that they can be in order to succeed regardless of their race.

5. Projecting forward, what is one thing you would like to achieve or be part of once you graduate to advance the African-American ideal for future generations?
Wright: I think that I would like to go back to New York and share my experiences with elementary and middle school students in order to shed light on the opportunities they have in front of them. It's extremely important to influence the younger generations so that they can begin to pave the way for their futures starting at an early age.