Gabriella Garcia '17 Recruiting Profile

Competitive swimming is my passion. A passion that has shaped me into the person I am today. Through swimming I have gained the personal qualities of courage, teamwork, and perseverance. These are the traits that have helped me successfully become a part of the National Honor Society, Junior Honor Guard, Girls' State Delegate, California Scholarship Federation, and consistently an honor roll student. My acquired hard work mentality was able to contribute to a 4.15 cumulative GPA. Through swimming I have even develop the skills and stamina to earn a red belt soon to be black belt in Kung Fu.

This level of high achievement in school puts me on the right path to major in pre-med or biology in undergraduate school. From there I plan to accomplish my goal of entering medical school, where my dream is to become a surgeon. The whole idea of saving a life or participating in someone’s care is amazing. I have a passion for how the human body functions, and how it repairs itself. I’m also the type of person who hates to see anyone struggle with injuries or diseases, and will always being look for a means to advance medical care and decrease suffering.

Due to my eagerness to help people I became a part of high school clubs, like Key Club, NHS, and Interact that are a part of community outreach. I also participated in two different week-long internships. The first was in the summer of 2011, at California State University Long Beach called "CHAAT". Here I experienced hands on interactions with different fields within engineering. The second was at CHLA (Children’s Hospital of LA) where I job shadowed nurses, pediatric surgeons, and physical therapists. Additionally, on my own time I have already conducted 437 hours of community service, the majority of which I spent tutoring students from Cleveland Elementary. To add upon my services, I hold a lifeguard and swim instructor job over the summers. It is here that I am able to teach kids, three to ten years of age, the fundamental skills to pursue the sport I treasure. Conjointly through swim, I have worked with challenged kids in a Special Olympics water clinic at Cerritos College and continue to volunteer my time at Artesia High School to teach urban underprivileged kids learn to swim who cannot afford swim lessons.

Swimming in college is not just the next logical step for me; it is what I’ve been preparing to do my entire life. I am aware that with my grades I could earn college admission, but I don’t just want to go to college. I want to swim in college. Swimming is what I do, and competitive swimming is what I love. I am willing to preserver through any obstacles, as I have done in the past, to achieve all my future endeavors.