Basketball, with perspective.
Basketball, with perspective
Lippert set to score 1,000th point, but focuses on volunteering too
Crimson forward Victoria Lippert, who left sunny San Diego three years ago to take up residence in chilly Cambridge, “hasn’t looked back since.” Now she’s set to surpass the 1,000-point mark this spring./ Amanda Swinhart/Harvard Staff Photographer
In a refreshing twist, atypical of many Harvard students, Victoria Lippert doesn’t have a plan for what to do after graduation. “I don’t know,” she shrugs. “I’ve been exploring that a lot lately, thinking about possibilities.”
But the junior history and science concentrator isn’t the least bit worried. There’s her soon-to-be historic basketball career with the Crimson in which she’s poised to surpass the 1,000-point mark in one of her upcoming games — a feat that Lippert was blithely unaware of. But in reaching that goal, she’ll be only the sixth underclassmen and 16th player overall to reach 1,000 points. “It’s kind of cool,” Lippert says.
Lippert, who left sunny San Diego three years ago to take up residence in chilly Cambridge, “hasn’t looked back since.”
“I love Harvard,” she says. “And the snow was marvelous the first time I saw it.”
When not racking up baskets as a forward for the Crimson, the down-to-earth Lippert is involved with the campus Christian group Athletes in Action. In the summer of 2010 she traveled with the organization to Pretoria, South Africa, where for a month the athletes worked to create a tutoring program at a local school.
“It was a humbling experience, seeing the conditions there, listening to the kids’ stories, and knowing they have to deal with so much — disease, AIDS, poverty,” she recalls. “I grew a lot from that trip; it was a really powerful experience.”
As the Crimson head into the final games of their season, Lippert’s versatility and scoring touch will be critical to their success. “We really want an Ivy League championship this year,” she says. “This group of girls is very special. We have amazing chemistry off the court, which really helps us on the court. Right now, we’re trying to bring consistency to the competition. Anything can happen on any given night. We have to have our game faces on.”
“Vic is exceptional in many regards, both on and off the floor. First, she is an extremely talented, versatile player, who has a passion for the game that is contagious,” says Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “And one of her most remarkable qualities is her unselfishness and will to win. Even though she’s a tremendous scorer in many ways, she puts the team first. She’ll do whatever it takes for the team to win.”
And this determination will certainly aid her in whatever career path she chooses, too. There is, of course, the possibility of playing basketball overseas, but Lippert is considering an option closer to home, too.
“I wrote a paper on the history of fingerprinting, and it got me thinking about crime and crime-fighting technology,” she says. “I’m considering something in law enforcement or the intelligence community. But I’m just poking around right now.”
There’s plenty of time to figure all that out, of course. “I’m not afraid of change or adventure,” Lippert says. “I’m generally pretty adaptable. I like exciting, new possibilities.”
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About Harvard Medical School (HMS)
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Whether training tomorrow’s doctors and scientists, decoding the fundamental nature of life, advancing patient care or improving health delivery systems around the world, we are never at rest. Allied with some of the world’s best hospitals, research institutes and a University synonymous with excellence, the School’s mission remains as ambitious as it is honorable: to alleviate human suffering caused by disease.”
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About Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Harvard School of Public Health is dedicated to advancing the public’s health through learning, discovery and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children’s health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights.
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About Harvard University.
Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The University, which is based in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Harvard has more than 360,000 alumni around the world.
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Harvard faculty are engaged with teaching and research to push the boundaries of human knowledge. For students who are excited to investigate the biggest issues of the 21st century, Harvard offers an unparalleled student experience and a generous financial aid program, with over $160 million awarded to more than 60% of our undergraduate students. The University has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a truly global education.
‘Universities nurture the hopes of the world: in solving challenges that cross borders; in unlocking and harnessing new knowledge; in building cultural and political understanding; and in modeling environments that promote dialogue and debate… The ideal and breadth of liberal education that embraces the humanities and arts as well as the social and natural sciences is at the core of Harvard’s philosophy. ’/ Drew Gilpin Faust
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* The above story is adapted from materials provided by Harvard University
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