Natasha Murray was a three-year team captain for the women's rowing program, graduating from Loyola in 2018 as a mechanical engineering major and Asian studies minor. A two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree, Murray earned a spot on Loyola's top varsity eight boat after originally joining the team as a walk-on. 

Learn more about both Murray's journey at Loyola, which included a study abroad semester in Thailand and a gold medal at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Championships, and her professional career designing a wide variety of medical buildings in the third edition of our Alum Spotlight series!


What have you been up to since graduation?

After graduation I started working for Leach Wallace Associates, now Leach Wallace Member of WSP in Elkridge, Maryland. Our branch of the company works mainly in healthcare. Designing the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems for medical buildings such as hospitals, labs, pharmacies, urgent cares, etc. We work on everything from small single-room renovations to complete new construction hospitals. 
 
We design the "guts" of the building, everything behind the scenes and in the ceiling that allows the building to function as a healthcare facility. Because of the complex nature and code requirements needed to be met for healthcare buildings, it provides a unique and interesting challenge to design each project. This field has been especially crazy with the outbreak of COVID, as we have been working with our clients to come up with the best ways to protect the patients and healthcare workers.

How did you get into your line of work? Was it what you planned to do as an undergrad?

Coming to Loyola I had no idea what I wanted to do, I wasn't even sure what jobs I could do with a mechanical engineering degree. It wasn't until an internship my junior year that I learned about MEP design work. I was introduced to Leach Wallace through the Loyola Career Fair and found it to be the perfect fit. 
 
In the two years I've been there I've gotten to work on numerous projects, both big and small. One of the first larger projects I got to work on was the tower addition at Carroll Hospital in Westminster, MD. I mainly designed the ductwork for the patient tower which provides heating, cooling and ventilation to the space. This project is now in construction and I'm excited to see what I designed to be physically built.
 

What are some interesting places that you've had the opportunity to visit, either through your job or personal life?

Through Loyola's study abroad program I got the amazing opportunity to study in Thailand for five months my junior year. I traveled around Southeast Asia experiencing the culture, tasting the food, and meeting new people. Living in a foreign country was so different from just visiting for a week vacation. You get to see the country beyond the tourist stops. We met the locals and by the end of the trip many of the street food vendors around the campus would recognize us and our orders. Loyola has a great study abroad program to many different countries, which was one of the reasons I chose Loyola.
 

 

How did you originally get into rowing, and what was it that drew you to Loyola?

I had never rowed before coming to Loyola.  It was at the accepted students' activities fair when I learned that Loyola had a Division I crew team. After talking to the coaches for a bit I took some paperwork and decided to take the summer to think about it. I was hesitant to start a brand new sport, especially at the Division I level, but some of my high school friends were rowers and convinced me to at least give it a try for the first semester. It ended up being one of my best decisions at Loyola. 
 
Rowing is unlike any other sport I've been a part of. Some aspects are mental and individually driven, but the end goal is complete teamwork. The crew team became my second home and family as we pushed ourselves to get stronger and faster as a boat and team. I'm so grateful for the experiences and opportunities I've gotten since I decided to join on a whim.

What was the most challenging part of being a collegiate rower? What was the most rewarding?

The most challenging part of being a collegiate rower was the time management and shift to morning practice times. Not being a morning person to begin with, and then transitioning to 5:30am practices, was difficult at first and led to many nights of little sleep. But it ended up being a blessing in disguise. It kept me on a schedule and helped me to manage my time more efficiently around water practice, team lift, and erg sessions. This also ended up being one of the most rewarding things. Each morning we were on the water watching the sunrise and completing a challenging workout before most people had even woken up.



What are your favorite memories (athletic or in general) from your time on campus?

My favorite memory from being a part of Loyola Rowing was the MARC Championship my junior year. This regatta was held in April and the warm spring weather had us all in the racing spirit. This race was especially fun because it was a wet launch, which means there are no docks to launch off of. Instead, we carry the boat on our shoulders straight into the water before placing it in. The cold water soothed our tired muscles and built up the anticipation to the final race of the day. 2k's are always a bit of a blur for me, once the official calls "attention, go!" there's no time to think anything except row harder. I remember feeling the rush of air as the boat surged into motion, the rhythm of each stroke, my muscles burning in the last 500 meters, and gasping for breath as we realized that we were the first boat to cross the finish line. All of our hard work finally came to fruition and resulted in a gold medal.



Do you still row on a regular basis, either competitively or recreationally?

I have only been on the water twice since graduation, both times for the annual class day race day that Coach Megan began three years ago. It's a great event for alumni to come back and see the current team and, for those of us who haven't been on the water since graduation, to try and remember how to row for a seemingly never ending 250 meter sprint of death. Hopefully sometime in the future I will find time to begin rowing again at least at a recreational level because I miss the feeling of being on the water and working together with my boat.

Is there any message you would like to give to the current team as they attend Loyola during the COVID-19 era?

I can't imagine what it feels like to be in college in this uncertain time. My only advice would be to appreciate every moment you have with your team whether it's virtual, socially distant or in person because your time at Loyola is limited and it really does go by fast. Have fun, make memories, and Row Hounds!