Last season, as a freshman member of the track and field team, current sophomore Larisa Lewis claimed the indoor school record in both the shot put and weight throw. This season she wants to beat her own school records as well as earn a bid to the national meet in the shot put.
 
"Track is an individual team sport; ultimately you do the sport for yourself, but when you do well individually, you do well for the team," Lewis said. "I really enjoy that you can be by yourself, but you can also be with a lot of other people, all of whom are working toward the same goal."
 
Lewis credits Oberlin alum and current assistant track and field coach John Hepp for introducing her to the college.
 
"I talked with him for almost a year, if not over a year," she said. "I visited Oberlin through the MVP program and was able to interact with a lot of great people. My host was a member of the track team, and is one of my closest friends on campus now. It was a really great experience. After the trip, applying was an easy decision to make and I was fortunate to receive a scholarship as well."
 
Hepp was also instrumental in her participation in the Oberlin Illuminate campaign. Lewis was asked by her coach to go to San Francisco and speak about her college experiences. Her speech was eloquent and well received. While in California she also met Mr. Zitrin, the man from whom she received her scholarship.
 
"Mr. Zitrin drove me around and showed me his version of San Francisco. Overall the trip was an absolutely phenomenal experience and I am very fortunate to have been a part of the Illuminate Campaign," said Lewis.
 
Outside of athletics, Lewis spends a lot of time with academics. A native of Wolf City, Texas, she's a sociology major with plans to become an accountant.
 
"Initially when I came to Oberlin, I wanted to be an economics major. I took a few classes last year and decided the program was not for me. While I was taking those classes, I also took a class with Greggor Mattson, a sociology professor, and he was awesome. I took "you're not the boss of me," which explored how everything we do is a trend. It was a really great experience and solidified my desire to continue with sociology."
 
Although she studies sociology, Lewis is an entrepreneur and has a wide variety of interests. This past summer, she and her friend started their own housekeeping business.
 
"My aunt started to recommend my business to her friends and other people and word spread quickly. We clean about 10-15 houses regularly now and are still working on a name for our business." Lewis remarked. This winter term she's exploring opportunities other than her business, and sociology as she interns at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas.
 
"Paul Quinn is a small school, and the internship involves development," she commented. "I will be calling alumni, gathering information, and helping the school reach its donation goal for the month. I found the internship through career services after I saw a banner for it on obieopps, and I decided to apply."
 
On top of all these different interests and opportunities, Lewis is also a residential assistant for the college and plans to apply for next year as well.
 
"It is definitely an interesting experience. I have a lot of first-years on my floor, but it is a lot of fun. The residents come to the events we plan, which makes me happy," she said.
 
Clearly Lewis is very busy and has many commitments, but athletics and academics remain her top two priorities.
 
"I really enjoy Oberlin and I really enjoy my team. We all mesh well, get along, and are very integrated. Overall it has been a great experience both academically and athletically."

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