A Closer Look - Season 1 (Alexis Harvin)
Steve Prefontaine once said, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
One can say that senior cross country runner Alexis Harvin has given her best over the years – to USC Aiken and to her cross country team – representing both in the best plausible light as she could.
Known as a caring person, Harvin has volunteered at the Red Cross, been involved in the community, performed community service and has always helped people.
She has continued that trend by sacrificing a lot during her time at USC Aiken. She has always put the needs of others in front of herself both on the team and outside of it.
The Las Animas, Colo., native has always been interested in the adventure that she could have and that started with her decision to attend USC Aiken.
“I didn’t know anyone when I arrived here,” Harvin said. “It was tough for me at the start, but I was excited about pursuing my degree at USC Aiken as it would give me a different perspective from going somewhere close to home where I knew everyone.
“One of the reasons that I became a Pacesetter was to be able to help the transfers transition into a new school,” Harvin stated. “I can relate to them because of my background. I let each one know that I’ve been in their shoes and I’ll lend a helping hand to them.”
Harvin was a personal care provider for two years that gave her hands-on experience with a wealth of patients.
“I dealt with different people daily,” Harvin said. “You never knew what each person might bring to you on a given day, so I was forced to deal with several issues. It taught me to always be prepared.”
Known as a front-runner in cross country, Harvin finds herself at the front of some important research.
“I have been doing research with Dr. Shervette,” Harvin stated. “We have been looking at mercury levels of fish and comparing it to the age and growth in whiting fish. The purpose is to determine how mercury from water affects growth and health of fish.
“I became involved with it during my sophomore year,” Harvin said. “I was interested in it because I want to be a dermatologist. People do research in fish because it relates to people in some ways. I also want to be able to handle any situations, so the personal care background and dissecting animals comes in handy. It helps me become more exposed to different situations so it won’t affect me later on.”
A member of the ODK, which is an honors society, Harvin plans to attend medical school, possibly back home in Colorado or at Emory.
“I’ve always been really careful with my skin,” Harvin said. “I want to find a cure for skin cancer.”
There is no doubt that Harvin will be successful in her career after she graduates from USC Aiken, but prior to it she wants the cross country team to have as much success as it can.
Harvin has a gift both athletically and academically – and it is a gift she will be able to share with her teammates this year and patients in the future.
