Magnus Loeffler '19 Recruiting Profile

Just broke my school diving record at my very first meet:

http://www.drewrangers.com/news/2019/10/11/mens-swimming-diving-loeffler-breaks-diving-record-as-rangers-win-season-opener.aspx

I’ve gained experience that, while difficult, will benefit me in the future. I’m someone with a disability and while attending Drew University in the fall of 2019, this really affected my ability to accomplish what I needed, and my grades suffered. I was diving for the school and doing really well. At the suggestion of my doctor, while I attended high school, I started diving as an effective exercise to manage my anxiety.However, at Drew, I felt very out of place and had several panic attacks. And in the spring of 2020, just as I was getting my feet on the ground, the COVID pandemic hit. Drew is in New Jersey, about a half hour away from New York City, and this turned out to be one of the hardest-hit areas in the country. All students were forced to leave the dorms and go back home. It would be accurate to classify this as more of an evacuation than anything else. I couldn’t even manage to bring home my refrigerator from my dorm room as parents and students were only given one spot on the calendar with a 30-minute time window.

Eventually, after a couple of weeks, Drew went online and neither I nor the school were really prepared. I think it was a disaster for everyone. I finished the spring semester, thanks in large part to dedication and training. Instead of going back in the fall, I got a full-time job to support myself as my father was having some financial difficulty. I went to work and started off well but when I changed jobs to work in the insurance industry, I had setbacks, like my car getting repossessed and finding out the company I’m working for has a bad reputation. My father told me that these experiences will make me a better and more able person. It certainly didn’t seem like this at the time but when I look back, I understand what he meant. I have a lot I can bring to the table that others may not have. I’ve worked full-time, and then some, to take care of myself and I think this will give me a healthier understanding and better perspective when I resume college. Since then, I’ve improved my ability to cope with stress significantly and I’m now prepared to continue my education. I’m now very confident and won’t allow circumstances to define who I am.

Sincerely, Magnus Loeffler