Jack Lira '22 Recruiting Profile

My mom often tells the story of when I was 6 years old and stopped mid-lane during a swimming lesson to point at the roster of high-achieving swimmers on the wall and ask, “do I get my name up there?”  While it was clear from an early age that I had a strong desire to be a fast swimmer, only many years of swimming year-in and year-out would prove that I also had the dedication.  What I know now that I didn’t know then is that it takes mental toughness and strong determination to be a swimmer.  Whether moving four states away to join a new team at the age of 9 years old, swimming outdoors this fall in the cold morning temperatures of the northeast or working hard to break a minute in the 100 free a few years ago, each obstacle required a lot of perseverance.    

The mental toughness that is needed in the pool correlates highly with life outside the pool.  Six years old was also the age that I started taking classical piano lessons.  I still take those lessons today.  At the age of 14, I performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.  In seventh grade, an essay I wrote earned me one of two spots representing my middle school at the Blue-RibbonLeadership Conference in Orlando.  Following that event, I had the honor of attending two more years at the same leadership conference.  That work paved the way for being selected as the outstanding 10th grade leader from Ridgewood High School to attend the HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth) New Jersey Leadership Seminar.  That year, I was also voted by my peers as Vice President of my class.  

It is not easy to balance swim practice with piano practice, while holding a leadership office and maintaining a 3.9 GPA.  Each of these achievements requires great effort and dedication.  They require the same dedication, in fact, that the pool taught me from a very young age.