From Walk-On to Radcliffe Captain

Had a certain freshman roommate not been so persistent three years ago, the fate of Radcliffe crew could have been entirely different. Not only would the second lightweight varsity boat be one woman short, but more importantly, the team would have also been without one of its biggest assets: the leadership of co-captain Leah Schwartz.

“My freshman roommate decided she was interested in rowing and decided to drag me along to the interest meeting,” Schwartz says. “She quit after five days...I didn’t. It was a total whim.”

A former walk-on, Schwartz was elected co-captain of the Black and White by her peers last spring, along with teammate Natalie Wong, and is eagerly anticipating her return to her fourth and final Head of the Charles Regatta this weekend in her new commanding role.

Although Schwartz’s Radcliffe experience began akin to many other inexperienced Harvard women, it is exceedingly rare that a walk-on is eventually elected captain for her senior year. In fact, none of the Black and White captains in at least the past four years have been former walk-ons.

According to Wong, Schwartz is an exception to the average walk-on.

“It’s a huge testament that she’s one of two walk-ons left from her class,” Wong says. “She’s really dedicated herself to rowing for the past four years.”

Schwartz started out as a casual competitor, but, like most varsity rowers, soon found the sport to be addicting.

“A lot of it was inertia, liking it enough to keep coming back every day,” Schwartz says. “The routine became a big part of my life at Harvard. It was a huge challenge, and I looked forward to trying to get better every day on the water.”

This inertia helped Schwartz remain a committed rower for the past three years, and yet, because of an injury last season, she may still seem like a wild card to competitors. Schwartz suffered a stress fracture of the rib, forcing her to watch her teammates from the dock all last spring.

According to Schwartz, she strived to remain committed to the team, and as a result, ultimately earned Radcliffe’s respect by being elected captain.

“The hardest part was [making] sure that the team knew that I wasn’t quitting or giving up,” Schwartz says. “I wanted to do everything I could from the sidelines to make sure our boats were going to go fast. I never let myself check out mentally, I never let myself think that going to practice in the afternoon was optional, and I hope that was clear.”

But last season was not the first time in Schwartz’s brief rowing career that an injury kept her out of the boat for an extended period of time. In fact, it was a similar stress fracture to a separate rib during her sophomore fall that left Schwartz ineligible for an entire month.

Despite the setback, the co-captain managed to find the silver lining in the situation.

“The moment I realized I was going to stick with [crew] was after the first time I got injured and came back,” Schwartz says. “I realized that if I can take time off and come back and still love it, then this sport must really be worth doing. I missed it after only about four weeks.”

It may have been this same sense of optimism that helped Schwartz gain respect as co-captain, and it certainly helps her set high goals for the Black and White.

“In my three years here, we’ve always done as expected and never exceeded expectations, but this year, I think we’re really going to blow people out of the water [in this weekend’s regatta],” Schwartz says.

The Head of the Charles is not only important to Schwartz because of the opportunities it presents for her team, but also because it signifies one of Schwartz’s proudest individual accomplishments.

“There’s one thing I can say: for all my injuries and moving in and out of my boats, I’ve been able to say I’ve raced in every single Head of the Charles [since my freshman year],” Schwartz says.

After graduation, Schwartz, a social studies concentrator, has a job waiting for her in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs, where she interned this summer. She believes her involvement in crew was a key aspect of the firm’s interest in her.

“There’s no question, the leadership opportunities with rowing have been amazing preparation for working with teams in the future,” Schwartz says. “[Crew] has taught me a lot about how to lead as a vocal leader and lead by example, which are both valuable skills.”

While Schwartz may have her freshman roommate to thank for spurring her initial interest in Radcliffe crew, Goldman Sachs similarly may have Radcliffe crew to thank for its latest hire, because without the skills instilled in her by her rowing experience, Schwartz would not have had the same preparation for a fast-paced life on Wall Street.