Elizabeth Xia '22 Recruiting Profile

Since I was eight years old, I have aspired to compete for a Division 1 college where the academic and athletic programs are both exceptional. Because of this, I have always had a strong focus on both my swim career and my academics. In fifth grade, I participated in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth international talent search, where I was awarded High Honors for being among the highest scoring participants. The summer after sixth grade, I participated in a swim camp taught under Coach Dave Durden to help improve my stroke technique. The summer before my freshman year, I attended the Exeter Summer School program, where I took courses about forensic science and detective fiction. Right before my sophomore year, I made three LC YMCA national cuts in the 200 free, 200 fly, and 100 fly. Finally, this summer, I will be attending the Harvard Secondary School program where I will be taking a Foundations of Neuroscience course and a course on Biochemical Engineering and Synthetic Life, which will earn me eight college credits. I will also be taking a course at Columbia University on Legal Reasoning: Thinking Like A Lawyer, which is structured like a traditional introductory first-year law school class.  As seen through my achievements from a young age, it can be assured that I will do well in and value everything I do, whether it be in or out of the pool.

Not only do I prioritize swimming and academics, I also try to be a good leader through my actions. Although I may not always be the loudest person in a room, I hope to lead others by example. I was awarded the Caiman Award by my club coaches two years in a row. The Caiman Award is typically given to a person on the team that has a great work ethic and is an exemplary teammate by showing the four core values of the YMCA: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Even though I am never the most naturally or physically gifted swimmer on my club or high school teams, I always give my absolute best effort in training, and I also try my hardest to be a good teammate. My favorite part about swimming has always been the friendships I make among my teammates- and I love to support and encourage them during practices and meets but also to be there for them outside of the pool. Because of this, some of my closest friends today are from my club and high school teams. Although I may only have two more years left with them, I guarantee that I will have the same attitude going forward into college and beyond.