From a young age, I always wanted to do things differently. When all my friends liked pink, I picked purple. While everyone ordered cheeseburgers, I asked for an ice cream sundae. When most of my school was staying in Iowa for college, I went to Missouri. While the majority of classmates moved home after college, I moved further—to Alabama.
When the majority of girls in middle school were playing volleyball or basketball, I wanted to swim.
So, swim I did. Although I was the only one at my school who pursued the sport, I loved it and made many friends. My poor parents did a lot of driving to and from practice—for which I’m so grateful. Because not only does an individual sport like swimming teach dedication and resilience (it’s not easy!), it also taught me a few years later the importance of leadership and decision-making skills.
The school district I was in did not offer reciprocity, so I had to go where we lived. But, there was no swim team! I was given an option to hire a private coach, or maybe my parents should look into moving. The first one didn’t sound fun and the second was not an option. I asked my parents why I couldn’t just go in and swim if they took me (again, bless their hearts for all the driving!). It didn’t sound completely crazy, so we asked around. My parents made it my responsibility that if I wanted to do this, then I needed to present to the school boards to ask if this would be possible. Nobody had ever done this before! And, I really didn’t know anyone. But, they said yes.
That was 26 years ago. Today, swimmers from Western Dubuque High School swim for the Dubuque County School District. It was a barrier that needed to be broken to allow all students the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Swimming in high school led me to become more independent and confident. Without swimming, I don’t think I would have gone six hours away for college—by myself. And, I don’t think I would have had the desire I do now in my career to always bring about change for the better, making a difference, if I wouldn’t have been brave enough to break down that barrier.
