Although some people say it is difficult to getto know Carter, Melissa S. Weininger '95 says itis Carter's sarcastic sense of humor that lets hersee the humor in everything. "She's one of thefunniest people I know. She like to make jokesabout things other people are afraid of makingjokes about--like race. I'll sometimes joke andsay, 'You can't sit down here cause you're Black."Hearing this comment, Carter smiles. "You," shesays, "but only Melissa can say that."

Judy Carter says she depends on her daughter'ssense of humor, too. "We're making jokes aboutpoor people and rich people and we'll get totalking and we'll get on a laughing spell for halfan hour."

The biggest shock to Carter's Harvard careercame her sophomore year after a tragic accident.

"The winter vacation of my sophomore year, Iwas in a pretty bad car accident in which one ofmy two closest friends died and I got a headinjury and have had pretty serious double visionand two operations since," she says. Carter wasdriving on an icy road in lowa during readingperiod when the wind generated from two semiscaused the car to crash. When she regainedconsciousness three days later in a hospital, shewas still not sure what had happened.

So after trying desperately to get out, Carterfound herself back in Iowa, with the threat ofhaving to stay another six months. "They thought Iwas head-injured and crazy. They made me take I.Q.tests. They tried to persuade me my brains leakedout on the highway and I was less intelligent."Despite the severity of the accident, Carter saysshe recovered faster than any of the doctorspredicted and even made it back to Harvard toattend two classes that same semester.

Harvard provided cassettes of all the readingsfor Carter's two core classes, but she foundlistening to them frustrating. "I was not able toread because my eyes have been messed up sincethen so I theoretically listened to all myreadings on tapes," she say. "But that can't workat all because you can't just change channels ofhow you learn things." And since Carter could notsee, "I had to be led around by friends who wouldtake me by the hand to classes."

When Tracey was a child, Judy Carter says shewould allow her daughter to play basketball in thehouse and bicycle around the neighborhood atnight, an activity her peers weren't permitted.

For someone who was used to great physical andemotional independence, being unable to see orride a bike or play basketball after the accidentwas very difficult. But she has persevered, and inthe meantime her eyesight has improved enough soshe can read for short periods at a time.

"When she got into the car accident, if itweren't for her being as active as she was I don'tknow if she would have made it through." hermother says. And Aunt Becky adds: "Tracey is asurvivor, a very big survivor