Green Wave Spotlight with Gabby Hebert

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University freshman Gabby Hebert took some time away from her busy schedule this week to chat with TulaneGreenWave.com about life as a student-athlete in this week's Swimming and Diving spotlight.

What was your initial attraction to Tulane?
"The biggest thing for me is I wanted to get out of the Northeast and the snow. I could see myself living there for the rest of my life, but four years without snow is a pretty good deal. Tulane was sort of the perfect fit with academics and athletics, and when I came here on a visit, I just loved it."

How has the transition been from Massachusetts down to Louisiana?
"Honestly, I don't feel like I'm that far away from home. Sometimes I forget that I'm like 1,500 miles away, which I guess is good because that shows I really have a place here. It is nice getting to go home and see my parents though."

What was going through your mind on the way down to Tulane?
"My family flew down a couple days before move-in, so it didn't really hit me that I was going to be leaving them until the day before move-in day. The flight was kind of all excitement, and then probably the night before move-in was when I started to get a little sad. But it all turned out really well."

What is it like going to school in New Orleans?
"I love it, there's always stuff to do. With Audubon park right across the street, and the Fly, you can spend a lot of time outside. It's so much nicer to do homework outside in the sun. Back home, that's not really an option most of the year."

What do you think you want to study?
"I'm majoring in finance and minoring in Spanish, because I want to be a personal financial advisor. I've always wanted to be fluent in Spanish, and if I get the chance to study abroad, I think that will be a really awesome opportunity."

How did you get started in diving?
"I was a gymnast for a really long time, and we had a family friend that was a diver. I saw her doing cool tricks at one of my friend's lake houses, and I was like 'that looks pretty awesome', so I tried it one day and loved it. I stuck with gymnastics until this year actually, so I did both. They really complement each other."

If you weren't a diver, what other sport would you do?
"I'm not really sure, I played a ton of sports growing up. I really like soccer, and even though I wasn't that good at it, it was fun."

Are you a New England Patriots or Boston Red Socks fan?
"I love all Boston sports, the Patriots especially. I actually just bought myself a Tom Brady jersey last fall, so I'm hoping he sticks with the Pats for one more year."

Are any of your family members athletes?
"I have a younger sister who actually swam for most of her life, and she still does high school swimming. Both of my parents were college athletes. My mom rode Crew at University of Miami, and my dad ran track at Bryant University."

How supportive has your family been in your college transition?
"They've been amazing. I didn't know that I wanted to do diving until pretty late. Once I made that decision they were all in, helping me find schools where that could be an opportunity. Just in my life in general, they're always there for me when I need them."

What's the biggest thing you've learned this year as a diver?
"I've learned a bunch of new dives. My skills have really improved since I've been here, which is incredible. Also, time management. I was good at it before coming here, but it is just such a necessity that I've been forced to become better at it."

How close have you gotten with Anne Marie Kenny?
"Anne Marie and I are really close. With only two of us, all of our practices are just us two. We also spend some time together out of practice, sometimes we'll get lunch or dinner and hang out, which is fun."

What does a successful AAC Conference Championship look like for you?
"This year, I would just like to do all my dives as best as I can. I'm not really aiming for any certain places, but just seeing where my best can put me in the conference."

How far have you come in your first year at Tulane?
"It's crazy how far I've come, my whole 3-meter list is new dives that I didn't have at the beginning of the season. That's crazy for me to think about."

Players Mentioned

Gabby Hebert

Anne Marie Kenny

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