Having initially started as a small activity held on May Day, hoop-rolling has become one of the most iconic traditions at Wellesley College. Each spring, seniors race down Tupelo Lane in a blur of class colors and commencement gowns as they push their hoops down the path in hopes of earning promised future success.
While environmental studies major Sophia Garcia ’15 was tossed into Lake Waban following her victory in this year’s hoop- rolling competition and will enter the pages in Wellesley history, she attributes her hoop-rolling win to her little sister Catherine Baltazar ’16 who camped out to secure an optimal racing position by claiming a spot on Tupelo Lane and her big Lina Torres ’13 from whom she inherited her hoop “The Ring of Fire.” Still, whether or not Garcia will in fact be the first to marry or the first to become a CEO, she will continue to pursue her success however she chooses to define it.
In the end, even as these seniors move on to the next step of their journey, the support of the Wellesley family will continue to follow them.
Photo courtesy of Wellesley College