The 2021 Rams Reflect is the sixth in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of Suffolk teams have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Suffolk.
For a complete listing of past and present Rams’ Reflections, click here.
Natalie Fay | Hometown: Chelmsford, Mass. | Public Relations
I never anticipated being a student-athlete in college. After playing volleyball and running cross country in high school, I came to Suffolk making peace with the fact that my time as an athlete had come to an end. Cut to two months into my freshman year, and I come across the (very small) track team. It turned out to be one of my best decisions at Suffolk.
For the past four years, I have had the incredible privilege of being a part of a community of Suffolk student-athletes who have committed to furthering this program, while furthering themselves as college students. My teammates, both on the men’s and women’s teams, have shown true dedication despite any and all obstacles. It’s not easy to wake up at the crack of dawn to train, especially knowing the full day of classes, internships, and jobs that will follow, but we do it for both the love of the sport and the desire to be a part of a team.
In 2017, we were the newest addition to the athletics department. We had four women running distance, one thrower, and one sprinter. In the 2019-2020 indoor season, the men and women took first and second place, respectively, in the conference. Our roster consisted of over 30 students in a wide range of event groups. That same year, we had the top team GPAs in all of athletics. The students who take part in this program come with having something to prove and a desire to keep pushing forward. Even during the peak of COVID-19, we kept in touch and kept training. We had Zoom meetings, created a Strava group, and eventually came back to East Boston Memorial Park to continue the work we started. Despite all the physical and mental tolls this can take, we kept showing up.
I won’t lie and say my time at Suffolk has been linear. Having never run track in high school, I dealt with imposter syndrome and wondering if I truly made a contribution to this team, while also trying to figure out the sport. Joining the team in its very beginnings, I often lacked the foresight to see how this team could go and how I fit in to that vision. With each early morning practice or hours-long meet, these fears were chipped away by both the sport itself and the team. Not only was I able to see what I was capable of as an individual, but what we were capable of together. Over time, this program gave me a sense of confidence and community that cannot be forgotten.
To my teammates both past and present, I could not be any more proud. You all have taken an individual sport and turned it into a community. While this program was started by the athletics department, it has truly been built up and maintained by its athletes. As the world inches closer to normalcy and competition becomes more realistic, I am excited what you all will accomplish. Keep pushing forward and causing disruption.