Personal Statement
I was born in Thailand, where I lived for most of my childhood before moving to the United Kingdom in 2017. I am bilingual (English-Thai) and have studied in the British education system my entire life. Growing up in a tropical climate, I swam recreationally from a young age but only started competing at age 12, and although I played rugby, basketball, and ran track, I found my passion in swimming. Being on the swimming team made me feel like I was among people who understood me and shared my goals.
When my family moved to the UK, I enrolled in a top-ten ranked high school and joined the City of Cambridge Swimming Club, which provided me with a unique opportunity to grow as an athlete and as a student. Club swimming exposed me to a new level of training, integrating morning swims and gym sessions into my routine, and the academic standards at my school forced me to adhere to a strict schedule to keep school and swimming in balance.
Training with the Cambridge University swimmers pushed me not only in performance, but to be gracious in defeat and to show true sportsmanship. During my second season with the club, as one of the national level swimmers, I came to understand the importance of setting an example for the younger swimmers by thanking officials, complimenting my teammates, and asking my coaches how to improve.
The most important lesson I learnt last season was dealing with failure; I hit the lane rope at British Summer Championships, causing me to miss out on the gold medal. After seeing the results on the board and later watching the race video, I realised that this small mistake could have been avoided had I maintained better focus. The next day I flew to Thailand and started my preseason training immediately; I rebounded, refocused on my goals, and executed.
I find myself missing swimming for a strong team that can provide both camaraderie and consistent challenge, as I know from experience that these are the factors that drive me. My ambition for university is to attend a college that is academically rigorous and has a strong swimming program as I work towards my goal of competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond.
