Rageene Berry (10/20/2016) - Athlete Awards

Rageene Berry

Award

Hospital For Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month
Week Of

10/20/2016
Sport

Scholar-Athlete of the Month
School

John Jay College
Year

Sophomore
Position
Hometown

Jalandhar, India
High School

Cambridge International for Girls

CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month Presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery

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Rageene Berry
Sophomore with a 3.85 GPA in Forensic Science
Women’s Tennis Player from Jalandhar, India and Cambridge International School for Girls

Rageene Berry has been named the CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for September 2016. The native of Jalandhar, India has maintained a 3.85 GPA as a Forensic Science major while also going undefeated in singles matches during the month of September on the court for the Bloodhounds women’s tennis team.

Berry was born in her hometown of Jalandhar, India and grew up playing a variety of sports. “There weren’t many other hobbies in my small town and my father was very into sports, so that had a big influence on me growing up,” stated Berry. When it came to tennis, the academic junior started playing the sport when she was 12 years old, in addition to sports like badminton and track & field.

Science has always been an interest of Berry’s, “before I came to John Jay I knew I wanted to study something in the science field,” she began, “but Forensic Science was one of the most interesting focuses and John Jay has one of the best programs for it.” When asked how she maintains an impressive 3.85 GPA, September’s Scholar Athlete says it’s second nature at this point, “Schooling in India was very rigorous. I’ve learned great time management, I study everyday, and I don’t let myself push tasks until the last minute.”

The tennis court is a sanctuary of sorts for Berry, “I met my best friend in India on the tennis court,” she states, “one of my favorite memories is competing alongside her, winning our district and going to compete in nationals together.” Being on the court helped her do things she previously thought weren’t possible. “Playing tennis helped me majorly. I was shy and lacked confidence, but then I played tennis and realized I was really good at it, it helped me meet a whole new group of people outside of just school.” This season, the sophomore is looking to build some new memories with her Bloodhound teammates. Berry has high expectations for John Jay, who are looking for their first finals appearance since 2005, “we have improved a lot from the previous year and I believe we have what it takes to get to the CUNYAC Finals.”

The future MBA seeker connects life on the court and life in the classroom with one common thread, hard work. “You can’t do well in either activity without practicing and studying on a consistent basis,” says Berry. Another lesson she has learned from her career as a scholar athlete is that it’s okay to make a mistake, “I’ve learned to take failures in stride, whether it’s not doing too well on an assignment or faltering against an opponent, you learn from them and grow.”

As for life after John Jay, Berry wants to obtain an MBA and then eventually return to India. “ I want to go back home and make Forensic Science better in India because it currently isn’t well established. I’d like to open my own lab or do anything I can to help make the system better over there.”

When asked what it felt like to be named September’s Scholar Athlete of the Month, Berry says “it’s a great feeling because it shows that all of this hard work (including those annoying 8 AM practices) I put in has paid off and someone noticed.”