As a high school senior, Perry received offers to play soccer for the University of Virginia and for Cornell, along with an offer from Chris Wielgus, the Big Green women's basketball head coach, to play basketball for Dartmouth. Perry was undeniably qualified to play basketball at the collegiate level, but she had more passion for soccer. And of all the schools Perry visited, she favored Dartmouth over the others. But the head coach of the Dartmouth women's soccer team was uninterested in her. Perry was torn.
"I couldn't decide between soccer and basketball. I love both of them and played both in high school," Perry said.
Then she received the best advice ever given to her from a friend: Even if you break your leg, you'll still love the school. "So I chose the school that I loved and the place where I wanted to be," Perry said.
Perry chose to matriculate at Dartmouth, the place she fell in love with as a high school junior at soccer camp in Hanover. And she never regretted her decision to this day.
"After coming on my recruiting trip, I knew I wanted to go here," Perry recalled. "I knew I wanted to play a sport and get a great education as well."
Anyone that attends women's basketball games religiously knows that Perry is key to the team's success. However, looking at statistics on three-point percentage or field goals made per game alone does not do justice to Perry's contributions.
Wielgus called Perry Dartmouth's "unsung hero" and said that "she is extremely smart on the court and does all of the little things well. She is an overachieving player who has this fire inside her that is contagious."
Without that fire, Perry might very well have called it quits long ago. She has continued to play despite severe injuries throughout her college basketball career. Perry struggled with a stress fracture in her foot her freshman year that kept her away from basketball for six weeks. Last year she hurt her back and has battled to play for most of the season.
This season, the tendinitis that had bothered her knee since high school flared up again and worsened to the degree that she has hardly been able to attend daily practices. But Perry has still worked tirelessly to ensure that her body makes it through the rest of the season.
Despite her injuries, Perry still managed to be the second most fruitful player on the team, trailing only Angie Soriaga '06 in minutes played this season. She is also leading the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game. With All-Ivy center Elise Morrison out for the season with a torn ligament in her foot, those minutes and rebounds have been especially crucial this season.
"The team feels more at ease when Krista's on the floor," Soriaga said. "And we tend to play better also."
Perry's freshman floormate Richard Winn '06 called Perry "a rock -- the good kind. If you need something done, or a problem solved, and Krista's on it -- consider it done."
Perry is hard to miss, standing tall at six feet. And popular with her peers too. Everywhere she goes, people recognize her and greet her by name.
"Krista has this ability during conversation to make even the shyest person open up to her," Soriaga said. "I really admire that quality about her because not many people can do that."
On campus, Perry is involved with the 1972 Society Program and is one of four senior women on the executive committee. The program is primarily aimed to connect first-year women with upperclasswomen.
Perry also served as the Dick Jaeger Civic intern in her junior year and organized community service projects for student-athletes. She worked with the Athletic Department and the Tucker Foundation to plan events such as Game Day Buddies, the Thetford Mentoring Program and the Big Green Reader. In addition, Perry is also active in the Gay-Straight Alliance and works with a group of GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender) athletes.
Pamela Misener, advisor to the GLBT, described Perry as "compassionate, thoughtful and determined" and said that "Krista is a compelling Dartmouth student who understands the richness and complexities of her own experiences and those of her peers."
Perry is involved with so many organizations on campus because she cherishes Dartmouth and wants to make the College a better place. And she is not shy about her love of the school.
"I could go on for hours about what I love most about Dartmouth," Perry said. "I love the atmosphere here. You can walk around and see people interested in so many things.
"I love walking through campus and seeing people building the bonfire or the snow sculpture and see people hanging out on Collis porch, or watch people canoe down the river or walk down frat row during Green Key and seeing the pong games. Anyone can find a niche here or reasons to love Dartmouth."
After graduating from Dartmouth in June, Perry will work for a healthcare consulting firm based in Boston before going to medical school.
