Krista Brochu
Rachael Rollins, a former lacrosse player at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, talks to students about her experiences as an athlete and a woman in power. Rollins became the first black woman to win the title of United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts last year.
Twenty-six years after graduating from Northeastern Law School and now the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Rachael Rollins knows the lessons she learned as a lacrosse player at UMass Amherst have translated into her thriving professional career.
“When you play a sport,” Rollins said, addressing Northeastern student-athletes on Solomon Court Wednesday night, “you have coaches, you have captains. … I try to go back and say, 'How can I be the best coach or captain for the people;”
Rollins was the keynote speaker at a National Girls and Women in Sports Day discussion moderated by NBC 10 Boston social media producer Kwani Lunis — who graduated from Boston College in 2016 and covered the Eagles football team for e.g. Vacation, sports media outlet at the school. The discussion was hosted by the Northeastern University Black Athlete Caucus, or NUBAC, who wanted to hold an educational discussion to kick off their Black History Month event series.
“Being able to publicize this day and make it as important as it's supposed to be is very important to us,” said Savion Thompson, NUBAC co-president and junior runner and jumper for the Huskies' track and field team. “It's not just National Girls and Women in Sports Day. it falls during Black History Month, so we need to highlight those people as well.”
As she answered questions from both Lunis and student-athletes, Rollins discussed her history playing lacrosse, calling the sport a “great equalizer” growing up on the field in a predominantly white sport. The Roxbury native went to high school at Buckingham Browne & Nichols — a private school in Dedham — before earning a scholarship to play at UMass.
Rollins, the first black woman named U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, recalled her days at Amherst. She told the story of how, when the athletic department cut women's lacrosse and two other women's sports, she and her teammates forged a path to reinstate the sports by lobbying the athletic director. But, by that point, it had been a year since the team had been on the field together.
“It's very easy to be optimistic when you're winning, but who are you when the lights go out?” he said.
The pair of speakers fielded questions from athletes from a myriad of North East sports. Questions ranged from how former athletes applied their skills to their jobs and discrimination they faced in the workforce to what motivated them to continue and general life advice.
“Put yourself in situations where you're always learning, always pushing yourself,” Rollins said.
Rollins also discussed how her personality has shaped her career, stating that being true to yourself and working hard is one of the best ways to gain respect and get ahead with people who are biased against you.
“I can look back and I worked with people who I know didn't like me,” he said, “but they had to respect me because I was so good.”
Both Rollins and Lunis entered the discussion excited and grateful for the opportunity to speak with student-athletes.
“There couldn't be a more perfect thing for me to do as [alumna] of Northeastern,” Rollins said. “I just thought it was a great opportunity to learn from the students and maybe explain a little bit about the Department of Justice or my path to getting there.”
Lunis was just as interested in helping the Huskies and gained some valuable insights from Rollins and the student-athletes.
“The biggest lesson I learned from Rachael Rollins and of course the students is how important trust is,” Lunis said. “I tried to encourage [the students] Whatever they decide to do after college, just to walk into the room with confidence and know that they belong in spaces whether or not they see other people who look like them in those rooms.”
While the guests wanted to learn from the students, NUBAC co-president and senior track and field athlete Kennedee Cox took away a lot from their responses and the collaborative effort of NUBAC, Northeastern Athletics and the guest speakers to make this event happen.
“It was exciting just because it shows how many allies we have in the athletic department,” Cox said. “I'm very happy to see it. everyone left learning something.”
Rollins certainly made sure each student-athlete walked away learning that their experiences would not just make them better people, but rather better examples of people.
“You're going to use all those skills because you were on a team,” he said. “You are perfectly suited to lead.”
