Seema Ghelani is a driven and very involved sophomore who is also an excellent competitor and member of Northwestern University’s little-known Equestrian Team.
Major: Economics, pre-med
Age: 19
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Why did you choose Northwestern?
I love the atmosphere of a challenging school mixed with our Big Ten pride!
What do you like most about NU?
I absolutely love the campus and the people here. It’s not so big that you don’t recognize people walking down the street, but it’s big enough that I always get to meet new people. Plus, there is always so much to do!
Where do you think you’ll be in 5 years?
Med school…I hope!
What is your guilty pleasure?
Addicting TV shows like Pretty Little Liars.
How did you become interested in riding?
As a little kid I just loved animals, especially horses. So I begged my parents to let me try riding lessons. They didn’t think I’d stick with it more than a month- I was one of those little kids who tried every sport there is. After that first lesson though, I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I guess I proved them wrong, it’s been almost 10 years now!
What’s it like being on the NU equestrian team?
Riding is a fairly independent sport, so NU having a team is awesome! It’s just like any other team atmosphere; all the girls are really supportive of each other. We ride in lessons together, give each other advice, go to competitions with one another, and do silly horse related things with each other, like watching Secretariat. It’s great to have a group of people with the same unique interest as you.
What does horse-showing at a collegiate level involve?
Showing in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association is really interesting. You get to the show early in the morning and there are a bunch of different class levels. Usually the show starts with the highest level, and works down through the classes, taking up most of the day. Each school likes to have people in every level so that they can get the maximum number of points possible. For every level, there is an appointed rider who’s points (each place is equivalent to so many points) go towards the team’s total. I think the most unique part of the shows is that you ride a totally random horse. Everyone draws a name out of a bucket and that’s the horse you ride in your class. You don’t even get a chance to ride your horse around before you compete to get a feel for what the horse is like. It’s totally random and kind of nerve-racking, but so much fun!
How did you do this weekend at the horse show in Wisconsin?
It was a pretty successful weekend! I placed 2nd in my jumping class, and 5th in my flat class. Northwestern also did amazing this weekend! Everyone placed in the classes they competed in, which is really exciting!
When is the next show?
It’s in early November, not quite sure yet.
Other involvement on campus?
Apart from NUET, I’m involved on the SASA exec board, PhiDE, Zeta Tau Alpha, Camp Kesem, and Dance Marathon.