MAGGIE HARWOOD OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a senior from Fairfield, Ct., has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending April 24th, 2015.
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When Harwood arrived at Colorado College in the fall of 2011, she had no idea that she wanted to play tennis or what to study.
“I brought my tennis racket and tennis shoes to the first practice and never left,” Harwood said. “I was at the bottom of the singles lineup and didn’t play much doubles at all my first year.”
Harwood, a senior from Fairfield, Ct., has improved her spot on the tennis team every year and is playing No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles as the Tigers prepare for this week’s SCAC Tennis Championships in San Antonio, Texas.
“We have a talented team this year and are really excited for the conference tournament,” she added. “I have really enjoyed being on the tennis team and have made some amazing friendships with my teammates.”
Part of her success on the court can be attributed to being a psychology major and participating in several community service activities around campus.
“I have learned from being a psychology major to manage my time in order to perform my best on the court,” Harwood said. “In the classroom I work extremely hard, which is also transferable to the tennis court. I always give 110% in my classes and the tennis court which is something I am really proud of.”
Harwood is also very proud of her service to others at Colorado College. She is on the committee of the Quony Cup, a 6v6 soccer tournament that celebrates the lives of two CC student-athletes who recently passed away. Chris Quon '09 died at the age of 22 from a heart condition and Evan Spirito '10 died after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 24. Both played on the lacrosse team and Chris was also a member of the men's soccer squad.
“It is really special to celebrate their lives in such a happy way that truly honors them,” Harwood said. “I really enjoyed helping put it together and it is satisfying to donate all the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.”
In addition, Harwood also volunteers every week at the Women’s Resource Agency in Colorado Springs. She works with adolescent girls that are involved in the InterCept program, a school-based prevention program for 8th through 12th grade girls that focuses on building leadership skills and positive relationships.
“These girls are struggling through experiences that I could never imagine experiencing myself,” Harwood said. “But I really value contributing to their lives in a positive way and hopefully be someone for them to look up to.
“It is a great way to get out of my everyday life to listen and provide advice to these girls to make healthy life decisions. I may want to go to school for social work because I really enjoy working with people and helping them in some way.”
Harwood will stay in the state of Colorado following her graduation on May 18 as she was recently offered a job in Denver.
“I am really looking forward to it,” she said.
To read about past SCAC Character & Community winners from the 2014-15 academic year, click here