“It was just a whirlwind. It was insane,” Hughes says of her Torino experience. “There’s nothing else like it.”

NOT JUST ALL SPORT

Coming off of her Olympic debut and an eighth place finish at the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships, Hughes went through yet another grueling test of her abilities—the college application process.

Her two older sisters both tried their hands at convincing Hughes of applying to their respective alma maters, Harvard and Yale. But one college stood above the rest.

“When I came to visit here, it was just an amazing place,” Hughes says of Harvard. “I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”

Freshman year was “really funny,” Hughes recalls. Though many of her classmates at Harvard heard that there was a former Olympian among them, they did not know that the rumored individual was actually her. Since then, Hughes has emerged from obscurity as a stunningly accomplished athlete who is grounded in her life as a Harvard student.

Hughes has been an active member of the Harvard University Figure Skating Club, where she is seen as a “role model,” according to Club Co-President Kristina A. Nolte ’10.

“She’s really down to earth and into giving people tips,” Nolte says of the former Olympian. “She’s really friendly and approachable on the ice.”

Hughes has also found a strong athletic community at Harvard, including her roommates in Mather House. Hughes’ blockmate Jacqueline M. Alemany ’11, a basketball player, says that their shared athletic interests have helped them become closer friends.

“Athlete to athlete, it’s easier to understand where someone’s coming from, even if you don’t know the sport,” Alemany says.

But for all the rigors of the sport and the added stress of balancing her schoolwork, Hughes—whose favorite Harvard-related memory is attending the Harvard-Yale football game freshman year—knows how to make time for her more social extracurricular activities.

“My favorite times with her are staying up really late at night and realizing that you have a huge load of work to do,” says Wheeler, Hughes’ blockmate. “She will make sure we have all the snacks ready, and we probably talk more than we should.”

BACK TO CAMBRIDGE

Hughes returned to Harvard for the spring semester, resuming her dual dedication to school and skating.

“Being back here is nice. It’s kind of like a home away from home,” Hughes says. “I was actually really excited to go back to class, which might seem kind of odd.”

Hughes, a sociology concentrator with a secondary field in government, says that her future plans remain uncertain and that she continues to hone her intellectual interests. Hughes, who has been attending events at the Institute of Politics, says she wishes to increase her involvement on campus.

Hughes continues to participate in the Harvard Figure Skating Club, and she has even watched some of the Vancouver Games’ figure skating competitions with its club members. This spring, Hughes will perform at the 40th anniversary “Evening With Champions,” an annual performance that benefits the Harvard-affiliate Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“I’m still skating a little bit, trying to get everything with school settled,” Hughes says. “And then I’ll skate a little bit more.”

—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu.