- 2019 Highlights
Personal Statement
Swimming has always been a part of who I am. One aspect of swimming I have worked at over the years has been setting goals and working toward them, especially being a mid-distance freestyler. I have most enjoyed being part of a team, supporting my teammates during their races and cheering loudly! Last year, as a Sophomore, our Wellesley High School Women’s Swim Team (in MA) went undefeated, won Sectionals, and came 2nd at States. Personally, at States I took 6th in 200 Free and 9th 500 Free. At the end of last season I received the “Coach’s Award” for my positive contributions to the team. I have been swimming with my club team, Crimson Aquatics, for nearly a decade and before that with other clubs. Club swimming has offered me the opportunity to travel with a team to compete all over the United States (Indianapolis, Virginia, New England, New York), to see colleges for myself and for that I am grateful.
During Labor Day Weekend 2018, I was fortunate to attend the LEAD Sports Summit Institute in Atlanta, Georgia with 120 other young women across the U.S. and Internationally. This Summit took place at Georgia Tech under the leadership of Kara Lynn Joyce and featured an incredible panel of female Olympians and specialists. This Institute made a huge impact on me by changing my view of what swimming after high school might look like. We swam in Georgia Tech’s beautiful pool, did sunrise yoga with Olympians in a nearby park, heard incredibly inspiring talks about real issues in swimming including nutrition, race anxiety, the importance of sleep, and transitioning from high school and club swimming to college swimming. My personal favorite memory of the weekend was listening to the presenters who were either former Olympians, current Olympians who swum in college or who were still swimming in college. These presenters talked about their swimming careers and the struggles they faced and overcame. Some of these messages sounded very familiar to me and I connected with them through shared experiences. Even though I have been swimming since I was five, I hadn’t heard leaders in their field be this honest about all of the things needed to thrive in this sport I love.
As a Junior, l am taking my 5th year of Mandarin Chinese as well as Honors English. I perform in an all Women’s Chorus, Song Sisters, take Digital Art and am in my second year of taking Drawing and Painting. Outside of the pool, I have participated in open water swims for the last four years, sometimes with my dad and my brother. At all of these swims in Massachusetts in places like Provincetown, Buzzards Bay and Wayland (Father’s Day Swim), I have always had a great time competing outside of the pool. As a family we run a few 5-10K road races together during the year, my favorite being the 10K where we get to run “through the helmet” into Gillette Stadium!
