Name: Brittany Steele
Sport: Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field
Hometown: Riverdale, N.Y.
High School: The Spence School
Activities/Clubs/Committees: Outskirts a capella, Chorale, Haverford Christian Fellowship, Black Students League, TIDE, Rufus Jones Institute for Leadership, Nerd House, Multicultural Recruitment Intern, Ambassador of Multicultural Awareness
Why did you choose Haverford?
I chose Haverford because I wanted people to be able to know me by name, especially in a classroom. I also wanted to be able to recognize my peers on campus. The social aspect of the Honor Code was also extremely appealing to me because of its emphasis on concern, respect and trust for each of its community members regardless of their experiences, identities and opinions.
Why did you choose to play a sport in college?
I couldn't imagine myself not playing a sport in college. There are plenty of running clubs for all ages but sprinting and field events, the things I do, are not as easy to come by without being anchored to a team. Track is one of my passions and I still have a lot I want to accomplish. Why would I stop before I have to?
What does being a student-athlete mean to you?
Gym was always one of my favorite classes, but in fourth grade I was diagnosed with a heart condition called Wolff Parkinson White syndrome and I was banned from participating in athletics of any kind. Everyone had always told me I should join the track team and I really wanted to but due to my heart condition it seemed like that was never going to be possible for me. One year later my cardiologist told me about a procedure that could be done that could enable me to play sports again and it worked! Being a student-athlete is literally a dream come true for me. Not only am I able to play the sport I spent my childhood dreaming about participating in, I'm able to excel in it. Track is extremely rewarding. I know that there will always be a payoff for my effort but I don't always know when that payoff will come and I find that process exhilarating.
What makes Haverford unique?
In my opinion, Haverford has much less of a disconnect between its varsity athletes and students who don't play varsity sports than at other schools. It's entirely possible to be fully integrated into the larger community as an athlete; we're involved in student government, arts, administrative committees and other student organizations just like everyone else!
What advice would you give a high school student considering Haverford?
Haverford is a great place to be if you have a lot of interests. It was really important to me to be able to sing, play a sport and explore other extracurricular activities that I knew the collegiate world would offer to me without having to choose between them or my team.