We have known each other for 18 long years. Aside from my God and my family, you have been the most constant part of my life, and to say “I would not be who I am today without you” would be an understatement. You sparked a passion in me at the tender age of 5, even before I would let anyone tuck my hair into a swim cap. You followed me around the world as my family moved from continent to continent and gave me a sense of normalcy and belonging amongst so much change and uncertainty. Through high school you gave me discipline, determination, and a touch of sleep deprivation, and you showed me how to give back to my community through swim lessons to those in need.
After months of recruiting and trying to find the best university to develop my swimming, you carried me to the greatest university in the world (Gig’em Aggies) and surrounded me with teammates that would go on to become lifelong friends. Even in my freshman year of college when we were separated for the first time because of a torn ACL, I could not get away from you because I could not get away from my amazing teammates. By bringing me to Texas A&M, you brought me to the people that would become my greatest motivators, strongest supporters, and most loyal friends. You gave me 5 years of laughing with them in the middle of sets, cheering for them from behind the blocks, crying with them after missing cuts, and celebrating with them after winning championships. You gave me the opportunity to lead, encourage, and support my team just as they had done for me.
And then in the spring of 2020, the world was shaken, and what was supposed to be the culmination of yours and my efforts together – my first individual NCAA championships – was ripped away a week before it could occur. I grieved the loss of that meet, but even more, I grieved for our world as it was overcome by fear and uncertainty. In coming to terms with the “new normal,” I have had time to reflect on the premature end to our journey together. I find that I do not regret a single moment of the training and preparation that led me to that last day of my swimming career. I did not stick with you for so many years because of a single weeklong swim meet or because of any other athletic goal. I stuck by your side because of the day-to-day joy of being a swimmer with my team.
Swimming, I know you are responsible for many of the skills I have acquired and the lessons I have learned through the years, and for that I am immensely grateful. However, it is the swimmers, not the swimming that have made me who I am today; who have taught me how to be a friend, a teammate, a leader, and a contributor to society; who have taught me to fight for what I want and to never lose sight of my goals; who have taught me to positively impact those around me, but also to rely on others when I need some extra strength. The swimmers are the ones who pushed me, inspired me, loved me, and invested in me. So, thank you, swimming, for the many memories that we share, and for the swimmers that made me who I am.