Erin Hughes '21 Recruiting Profile

I started rowing in my sophomore year when I was 15 and immediately fell in love with the grace and intensity of the sport. I joined the high school team that I have trained with for the past three years after I was displaced from St. Thomas by two hurricanes and ended up at Hockaday. The more I learn about rowing and working with such a unique kind of team, the more determined I am to continue  improving in it when I go to college and the more excited I am to take it to the next level.

I’m a natural leader by example, never giving less than my best and always encouraging my teammates. At the end of my first year of rowing, my coaches awarded me our school’s Split H Award for “emotional intelligence well beyond [my] years.” During my junior year, I was also selected twice as the school’s HAW (Hockaday Athlete of the Week) for my leadership and tenacity. I am highly coachable and constantly seeking out ways to improve myself and my rowing. I’m not afraid to work hard to achieve my goals and am always willing to go the proverbial extra mile.

Academics are also very important to me and I am looking for a school where I can pursue all my passions and where I can be around other people who are just as curious and hungry to learn as I am. My hard-working mentality carries over into my academics as well, and I diligently study and keep my grades up. Sports and school- while important- aren’t the only parts of my life, though: I have always enjoyed volunteering at local animal shelters and participating in and organizing environmental clean-ups, I am the co-president of the Bible Study Club, a member and school representative for my school’s Girls Advancing in STEM Club, and was an Animal Specialist in Training at Cub Creek Science Camp this past summer. I hope to positively contribute to whatever team I become a part of and never stop improving my skills, athletic ability, and team-oriented attitude.