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Abigail “AJ” Ward by no means imagined {that a} seemingly random suggestion from her roommate would result in such profound adjustments in her life.
As a freshman at Navy, she was immersed within the rigorous educational and bodily coaching that outlined her each day routine. Rugby was a international idea to her, however her roommate’s enthusiasm was infectious. What began with an off-the-cuff invitation to a rugby apply shortly grew to become a cornerstone of her school expertise, shaping her identification and future in surprising methods.
“After I got here right here, I had by no means performed rugby earlier than, and I actually hadn’t considered it or actually heard a lot about it as a sport,” Ward recalled. “However my roommate began taking part in rugby, and he or she was loopy about it. She cherished the group, she cherished the tradition, she cherished the game. And I used to be sitting in my room at some point, and he or she mentioned, ‘What are you doing after college? Come to rugby apply with me.’ I used to be like, ‘What are you speaking about? I’ve by no means actually heard of rugby. I am unable to play.’ And she or he mentioned, ‘Effectively, I already advised them you are coming in order that you need to.’
“So I confirmed up, and I fell in love with the group tradition right here.”
Rugby added one other priceless layer to Ward’s expertise at Navy, which is marked by a number of vital achievements. One of the notable is being named a Rhodes Scholar. The varsity’s help for her educational and private progress was instrumental in her journey to changing into one of many 32 People awarded the distinguished scholarship this 12 months. Rhodes Scholarships present all bills for 2 or three years of research on the College of Oxford in England.
Ward speaks after the Veterans Day Parade in New York’s Chinatown in 2023. Born in China and adopted by an American household, she grew up in Pasadena, Maryland, with restricted connection to her heritage. At Navy, Ward started to completely discover and embrace her cultural roots. (Photograph courtesy of Abigail Ward)
“I feel it is an enormous honor to symbolize the Navy, particularly to symbolize my college within the Rhodes Scholarship. I am tremendous excited to attend grad college and research at Oxford. And I am actually excited to see what the long run holds,” Ward mentioned.
Whereas at Navy, Ward acquired a Stamps Scholarship, which allowed her to work with the Asia Basis-Malaysia in 2023 to check the influence of expertise coverage on small and micro entrepreneurs. She additionally spent the 2023 spring semester in an intensive Mandarin program in Taipei, Taiwan, at Nationwide Taiwan College.
Each alternatives helped kind her objectives for Oxford, the place Ward plans to check social sciences, specializing in the intersection of expertise and society. As a pc science main with a minor in Chinese language, she is aware of the twin nature of the web: its potential to attach individuals and its capability to unfold misinformation. She is captivated with exploring methods to harness the facility of on-line communities to foster unity and understanding fairly than division.
“I feel that one of many greatest dangers you may see is that on-line communities have the facility to each unite individuals and divide them, relying on the data that will get handed alongside them,” she mentioned. “So I am desirous about learning how we are able to use the web as a option to carry our society nearer as a substitute of this large divide that we’re persevering with to see at the moment.”
For Ward, rugby has served as a great instance of the facility of unity.
“One in all rugby’s hottest catchphrases or mottos is ‘rugby for everybody,’ and I feel that basically fashions the inclusive surroundings {that a} sport like rugby is,” Ward mentioned. “In rugby particularly, you’ve got individuals of all completely different physique varieties, skills, strengths, abilities, and so they can all come collectively on the rugby area and so they can all shine in several methods. I feel that is actually particular.”
In some ways, rugby grew to become greater than only a sport for Ward. It grew to become her help system.
“Being part of rugby offers me a right away household right here at Navy. I do know that I’ve a group of people that at all times have my again, it doesn’t matter what demanding issues are happening on the academy or one thing else happening in my life,” she mentioned. “Our group tradition right here may be very family-oriented, and that is the explanation I might by no means go away. I may by no means go away this group of women who has accomplished a lot for me on the academy.”
Ward’s journey at Navy additionally has been marked by a profound private evolution.
Born in China and adopted by an American household, she grew up in Pasadena, Maryland, with restricted connection to her heritage. It wasn’t till she arrived at Navy that she started to completely discover and embrace her cultural roots.
By means of the campus Chinese language Tradition Membership, of which Ward is now president, she discovered a neighborhood that celebrated variety and supplied an area for her to attach together with her heritage.
“We march yearly within the Veterans Day Parade in Chinatown in New York Metropolis. Final 12 months, I received to talk to the Chinese language Veterans Heart. That was a extremely impactful expertise in entrance of the Lt. Kimlau Struggle Memorial,” she mentioned. “I feel that basically introduced collectively all of the accomplishments of different individuals who have come earlier than me, that I can stand on all of the contributions of Chinese language People to the army that I am benefiting from. Hopefully I can proceed to maneuver that ahead and proceed to make progress for us.”
Ward (left) had by no means performed rugby earlier than attending to Navy. The group grew to become household for Ward, and the game added a rewarding break right into a day crammed with educational and bodily coaching. (Photograph courtesy of Abigail Ward)
This contains in rugby, which Navy elevated from a membership to a varsity sport beginning within the 2022-23 educational 12 months as a part of the NCAA Rising Sports activities for Ladies program. Navy is one in all 29 NCAA colleges that sponsored rugby on the varsity stage throughout all divisions in 2022-23. For Ward, the milestone grew to become extra essential as she linked with alumni of this system earlier than it even had membership standing.
“To develop from that to a membership sport after which to lastly reaching NCAA standing is de facto thrilling. It exhibits lots concerning the time and dedication the coaches have proven the group, and it speaks to the group tradition,” she mentioned. “An enormous a part of life is reaching again and thanking the individuals who have come earlier than you and acknowledging what they’ve accomplished, after which standing on their achievements to proceed to push for progress. I feel that is an enormous a part of what we do as a (rugby) group and what I wish to do in my life in all areas.”
All through her journey at Navy, Ward has acknowledged that her success just isn’t solely hers. It’s the results of a supportive neighborhood and a nurturing surroundings that celebrated variety. That has added worth and connection to her accomplishments in methods she by no means imagined.
“My tradition is a large a part of my life, and I feel that the college has actually superb alternatives for individuals of all backgrounds and cultures via our cultural (extracurricular actions) to satisfy with midshipmen from all backgrounds,” Ward mentioned. “There’s a variety of worth in celebrating the variety of experiences we have now within the army as a result of that is the place our power comes from, listening to completely different concepts and views to resolve the challenges we face at the moment. The Naval Academy does that basically effectively.”
