BRONX, N.Y. (BVM) — Most students from out of town have some difficulty adjusting to life in a new city, but not Aria Rheams. The Virginia native is familiar with discipline and structure, as she was part of the ROTC program and the basketball team during her time in high school.

“When I was a freshman, I really did not expect to play at all,” Rheams said. “I’m used to a hierarchy, so you have to earn your playing time. Even at the Division III level, I expected to put in a lot of work, which I did and I was rewarded sooner than I expected to be.”

Coming in, the Dolphins senior basketball player was eager to have an active role at the school.

“Since I first walked on campus, I was a part of three clubs minimum,” Rheams stated. “I don’t know how I managed to make the time. Clubs were a way to relieve stress from basketball or school, just to decompress.” 

Like many college students, the difficulty of being socially active in a new environment takes some time. As beneficial structure and planning is, the Dolphins senior had an additional motivation when she arrived at the ‘Mount.’ 

“Being around a group of people who didn’t know me and didn’t know my work ethic [inspired me],” Rheams said. “Discipline has always been engraved in me. You got to work hard for what you want.” 

From a young age, her parents’ deep military background instilled many core values like discipline and work ethic. 

“They were really big on discipline and I’m also in the Army, I’m in ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) so they’re really big on structure,” Rheams said.

Parents of the Dolphins senior instilled in her a sense of pride within the process. Rheams understood early that hard work pays off personally and socially. Aside from playing starter minutes on the basketball team, the Dolphins senior made sure that she was active in the university’s clubs.

“When I first came, I thought I was fine, but once I started to get settled in I realized I had to schedule out my day to make sure that everything gets done,” Rheams said. “I honed my time management skills when I came to college.”

As time management became effortless, Rheams was able to embrace her personal time whilst operating at her clubs.

“My club time was my me time,” Rheams said. “I got to hangout and socialize with other people which was a really big thing for me because I was from out of state. I saw the city… I even saw my first Broadway show and that’s stuff that I’m really grateful for because of the clubs and people I hung out with.”

With her focus also outside of basketball, Rheams was still able to make an impact on the court, averaging a little over 27 minutes per game her freshman year. For the Dolphins senior, free time has been hard to come by. 

However, for the Dolphins senior, it isn’t free time she needs, it’s the social connections. The struggle for Rheams is going to be maintaining those connections while the pandemic is still active.

“It is really hard because I am a social person and being restricted to seeing people virtually makes me feel attentive but not very productive.” Rheams said.

For most people, maintaining a positive mindset has been difficult while adjusting to life in a pandemic. Rheams does a lot, not only physically and academically, but mentally as well.

“I manage to stay upbeat by working out, or even safely meeting with a friend or two,” Rheams said. “I feel like the biggest thing is reminding myself to take breaks. I had to tell myself it’s OK to take a break and that I have to take care of myself. It’s been a challenge for me but I’m still having fun.”

The 5-foot-7 forward is a part of several school clubs, but she has a lot of pride in ROTC and the Black Student Union, which she is the President of. Being active in several school activities while averaging almost 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game in the NCAA is no small feat. As the Dolphins senior transitions to adult life, she aims to do more than average a near double-double for her career.

“I really want to set up some sort of correspondence with the ‘Mount’ and ROTC,” Rheams stated. “That is one of the things I want to leave the ‘Mount’ with and also for the clubs that I founded, BSU (Black Student Union), to be in good hands when I leave because I think it’s an important club.” 

Rheams is confident she’ll leave her club in capable hands but wants the ROTC to be more accessible to students who seek to pursue that route while at the school. While she remains active in clubs on campus, Rheams also wishes to play a final season if the NCAA would allow it. Aside from being only 198 points away from scoring 1,000 career points, Rheams wants to empower the younger players to embrace the struggle.

“If there is no season, I want to encourage the underclassmen to maintain the state of mind that if they persevere through the hardship and the struggles, [it] will be worth it in the end,” Rheams said.

Rheams is determined to make a lasting impact in every facet of her life at Mount Saint Vincent. Despite COVID-19 affecting the everyday lives of Americans, Rheams knows to ‘keep rolling with the punches.’

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