With a taste of international competition and the initial shock gone, Okwelogu now hungers for more, with her sights set on qualifying to the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Games.
“Now I can see myself as a competitor,” Okwelogu said. “I went to those meets with the mentality that I’m so lucky…but I qualified not performing as well as I could have because I was in shock.”
“The biggest thing for her is to keep doing what she’s been doing,” Saretsky added. “She wants more of it and at the end of the day you’ve got to continue to focus on the process.”
Palavicini believes the girl he met 15 years ago in the small office will continue to shine.
“I still remember that little girl when she was five,” Palavicini said. “From elementary, to junior high and on to college, I look forward to see whatever the future brings for her.”
—Staff writer Julio Fierro can be reached at jfierro01@college.harvard.edu.