Erin Cafaro
Erin Cafaro rowed for Team USA during the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. On both occasions, she took home the gold medal, solidifying her place in US history as one of the more decorated female rowers. What’s crazy is that she retired the same year she won her second Olympic gold medal at the age of 29 years.
In 2018, Erin silently stepped away from the world of rowing in pursuit of raising awareness for mental health. She became a research assistant at the Stanford School of Medicine Department before applying to the Ph.D. program. It appears that our two-time gold-medal winner has taken the academic route instead of the athletic one.