Gabby Thomas recently recalled her journey through Harvard and her athletic career. She explained that Ivy League schools, including Harvard, do not offer athletic scholarships. Instead, students receive financial aid, but they are also expected to contribute towards fees through work. Because of this, Thomas had to manage her studies, track training, and multiple jobs to pay for school.
Thomas said balancing everything was difficult but believes it made her stronger. She views her time at Harvard as a period of growth and learning, both academically and personally.
During a 'Networth and Chill' podcast with Vivian Tu on March 12, the host asked:
"How did you pay for school?" (15:47 onwards)
The American athlete responded:
"Harvard doesn't do scholarships. As many people probably know, Ivy League doesn't do athletic scholarships. And so you get financial aid, which is very generous at the Ivy League and at Harvard, but they are expecting you to do some work to contribute."
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Thomas added:
"So I was also managing classes and then athletics and then my jobs. And so at times I did feel like, oh, this is a bit harder for me than I feel like, you know, it is for a lot of other people, but you just, you make it work. You make it work."
After finishing college, Gabby Thomas relocated to Texas to train alongside elite Olympic athletes.
When Gabby Thomas reflected on the challenges of balancing college athletics and personal growth
In 2024, Gabby Thomas revealed the challenges she faced during her time at college while balancing her athletic career. She graduated from Harvard, earned a master’s in public health, and won multiple championships, including Olympic medals. At Harvard, she set sprint records and won 22 conference titles in three years. Instead of using her final college year, she turned professional with New Balance. Balancing academics and athletics was demanding, but she excelled.
During college, Thomas faced burnout after her sophomore season. At that time, mental health in sports was rarely discussed. Unlike today, top athletes did not openly talk about struggles. She competed before stars like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles publicly addressed mental health challenges.
Reflecting on the challenges, Thomas said (via popsugar.com):
"I had gotten to a place in my college career where I felt like I had given so much to track. I was feeling a little bit less whole in other areas of my life."
Gabby Thomas has competed in two Olympics and won five medals—three gold, one silver, and one bronze. She won gold in the 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she earned a silver and a bronze. She clinched a gold and silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.
