Agganis Scholar Donovan reflects on life lessons from sports

(This is the sixth in a series of articles on North Shore recipients of the Agganis Foundation scholarships.)There are a wide range of emotions that go along with winning and losing in sports. Sometimes lost in the emotions are the life lessons learned by the athletes themselves.For Agganis Scholar Bridget Donovan, the lessons were not lost.Donovan was a captain of both the St. Mary’s girls hockey and lacrosse teams. She was also a Catholic Central League All-Star this season in both sports.Donovan experienced the highs of playing for three state champion hockey teams and captaining the team that had a 100-game streak without a loss. The streak came to an end with a loss in the state tournament to Hingham this year, which prevented Donovan from winning four state championships in her four years at St. Mary’s.Yet, she said, “Most people can’t say they won a state title. I played on three championship teams; I got to play at the Garden twice. I had so much fun playing.”It was great to be on those teams and then to be able to take on a leadership role for the team as captain. I really enjoyed getting to play the game.”Donovan also captained the girls lacrosse team, which was made up primarily of the same players from the hockey team.”There was such a carryover from the hockey team to the lacrosse team that we all had so much fun,” said Donovan. “I have been playing lacrosse since I was young, but a lot of the other players had just started. I really enjoyed helping my teammates learn how to the play the game.”In the fall, Donovan will be attending Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Donovan was attracted to Rollins because of the high academic standards and also for the opportunity to play lacrosse on an NCAA Division II level.”Rollins is a smaller college where I will be able to meet and know most of the other students attending. Coming from St. Mary’s, I like that kind of academic setting,” said Donovan. “I absolutely love the feel of the college.”In addition to the Agganis Scholarship, she also received a Presidential Scholarship from Rollins.Outside of Donovan’s on-field achievements, like all Agganis Scholars, she has excelled in the classroom and in her community.Donovan graduated in the top five in her class and was school treasurer for the National Honor Society. She was also a Eucharistic Minister for St. Mary’s Campus Ministry, and a member of various clubs and organizations, including the student council, where she was a two-time class representative.Additionally, she participated in the Hunger for Justice Famine at St. Mary’s. Hunger for Justice is a weekend retreat that focuses on community service in a variety of areas, prayer, fasting, and a “homeless experience” where students build their own homes out of cardboard in the gym and cafeteria.Within her community, Donovan was a councilor for her church’s Advent Camp, and volunteered once a week at the Tiffany Room in Nahant helping senior citizens.This summer, Donovan will work as a lifeguard at Long Beach and expects to “enjoy the summer with my family and friends.”Since its inception in 1955, the Agganis Foundation has awarded $1,436,525 in scholarships to 845 student-athletes.