When she arrived at Manhattan College in August 2018, Jessie Rising knew she had a tough road ahead of her. Playing NCAA Division I softball while studying biology in preparation for a career in the medical field isn’t exactly easy, after all.

On July 4, 2020, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic strangled out her sophomore season and all learning had switched to an online format, Rising’s road through the remainder of her college career had gone from tough to extremely difficult, all with one big…