Run Your World is excited to announce our crush this week, Nina Hughes! Nina is currently a Junior studying Criminal Justice. When she’s not working hard in the financial district at Wintrust Wealth Management, she’s tearing it up on the field with Loyola’s Women’s Rugby Team.

Nina is breaking down some major barriers in the male dominated rugby world. With her 25 teammates, she works to redefine what it means to be a woman playing a “man’s sport.” The team reaches out to women across Loyola’s campus no matter their athletic experience. They believe that rugby is mainly about building  a community and surrounding yourself with strong, supportive women.

Nina was introduced to rugby through her father who played at Eastern Illinois University throughout his college career. She says, “when I’m out on the field, I can just forget everything that has been stressing me out all week and focus on the game.” While Nina plays for fun and to relieve her stress, she also has a strong passion for the game. She started playing when she was just 15 years old and has been on the field ever since.

Nina is this week’s crush because she’s helping redefine what it means to be a strong, successful, and independent woman in 2016. She’s tiny, but she’s feisty on the rugby field and she never lets the small things in life push her back from accomplishing her goals.

Have a friend that you look up to? Does she have a unique talent or defy the stereotypes of women? Tweet us her picture @RunYourWorldLUC, we would love to feature your crushes too!