I grew up in Ethiopia, a country in Africa. It wasn't until my senior year that I came to America. My childhood revolved around sports, with swimming being my main focus. I started swimming when I was eight, and thanks to my dad's encouragement, I've been training professionally ever since. All that hard work paid off in March 2023 when I competed in a swimming competition for schools in Addis Ababa, the capital city. I won first place in both freestyle and backstroke in that competition. That day made me realize just how much I love swimming and inspired me to pursue it at the college level.