After finishing her senior year at Highland, Savannah Fitzpatrick will be making the jump to collegiate life at Harvard, where she will also play softball for the Crimson.
Fitzpatrick said that the school’s academic reputation played a big role in her decision.
“I wanted to go somewhere where there was a primary academic focus and secondary was softball,” she said. “When I got on campus and met the coaches, they were wonderful and embodied the values I have.”
She has had that mindset for some time, saying that she’s been looking into colleges for several years.
“I was looking at colleges from the end of seventh grade,” said Fitzpatrick. “It wasn’t until my freshman year that I was looking at Ivy League schools and it wasn’t until the end of my junior year that I decided to go to Harvard.”
When she visited the university, it didn’t take long for her to decide she liked it.
“When on campus, I spent the day with one of the softball girls and her interactions reminded me of my interactions with my best friends.”
While at Harvard, she will major in psychology, with the goal of moving onto law school eventually.
“Harvard doesn’t have pre-law or I’d do that,” she said. “The plan is law school after undergrad.”
Currently, Fitzpatrick is preparing to start her senior season as Highland’s catcher — something she’s looking forward to after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to be canceled.
“Missing out on last year was very rough because some of my best friends were seniors on the team,” she said. “I was fortunately able to play in the summer with my travel teams.”
Now, though, if all goes according to plan, Fitzpatrick will be spending a lot of time on the diamond. Not only will she have her season with the Scots this spring, but due to the pandemic causing the Ivy League to not hold spring sports this year, there is the potential for a fall softball season.
“It’s going to be busy for sure,” she said. “I’m excited to start my lifting program over the summer, so when I go in the fall, I’m prepared for the fall season.”
Speaking of being busy, Fitzpatrick noted that it will be a challenge to balance athletics with the demanding curriculum of an Ivy League university.
“I’m definitely curious to see how my time management will be,” she said. “I’m nervous about the workloads for my classes, but I think my teammates will be able to talk me through it.”
Regardless of the future challenges, Fitzpatrick is looking forward to spending the next few years of her life in a new place.
“I’ve been at Highland my whole life,” she said. “Going to a new environment is something I’m looking forward to.”
