Akira van de Groenendaal '23 Recruiting Profile

A positive environment and a culture of success helped propel me to where I am today. I wasn’t very good at swimming to begin with, and didn’t treat it as any more than time to socialize. Upon entering the first competitive group on my club team at seven, I was surprised by the complete change in attitude and atmosphere, and inspired by the hard work of the other kids in my group. This environment made me discover that I enjoyed improving and reaching new goals, as well as the competitiveness of the sport. Despite this, I had a tendency to lose my races before they had begun, due to struggling with confidence. As a result, I was introduced to the mental aspect of sports and learned to control my thoughts and attitude, and maintain a growth mindset, especially when faced with a tough situation. This is a necessary skill both in and out of the pool. As of right now, my academic goals aren’t much more than wanting to keep improving to be the best that I can be, and support others around me, just like swimming. Over the years, I’ve learned that I might never be the loudest person on deck, but I can lead by example and motivate others to be better wherever I go. I try to give back to the culture and surroundings that raised me.