Advertisement

Breaking Away Off the Field, Around the Globe

Richard C. Knight

And so, while playing intramurals ("It's almost non-soccer," he says, smiling once again), Knight became actively involved with the AIDS Benefit Committee and the African Students Association. Soccer was indeed waiting.

His involvment with ASA was the main reason why he returned to Uganda during his junior year for the first time in 18 years.

"I didn't have a Black experience until I came to Harvard," Knight says. "First, it was sort of difficult. I didn't really realize this side of me."

His previous experiences never really challenged him. " I have sort of lived this mainstream life," Knight says. Until he arrived at Harvard, Knight was searching, but not coming up with many answers. Once he left the "mainstream," the answers soon started to appear.

"Of all the people I've known here, he's probably the one who's gotten the most out of Harvard," Selassie says.

Advertisement

"He's just really into a lot of stuff," says Sean D. Keller '90, one of Knight's four roomates. "He's in a lot more stuff than I am."

Last fall, Knight returned to the soccer field to play one last season. He was out of shape. The team didn't do very well. But Knight Knew the pressure on him had lessened, and soccer turned out to be hard to ignore after all.

"I miss, and I'm always going to miss, soccer in the future," Knight says.

But soccer doesn't have to take center stage any longer for Knight. The days of tackles and goals are dwindling. Knight no longer needs to keep on searching. He's found his own definitions.

Sorry, Carlisle.

Advertisement