“Reid between the lines” he said before every race

I wore my name proud under UCLA

I dove in and sprinted, 7 laps left

Kicked and pulled, controlling my breath

My hand surged through the wall

My teeth glowed, blinding the man who was standing tall

I remembered my family and my dog

I have the same color eyes as my dog

But my eyes are covered by fog

From what I don’t know, from what I have seen

When the fog clears, I sometimes believe

That I am not behind, I am me

Me in an ocean, my brain is bubbly

Popping, bouncing, and there’s clarity

I see foam, the wrapper dusted with granola, and a footprint

I put my hand in the stranger’s mold

Sand fills valleys in my fingerprint

Swimming isn’t forever, I have to find a new race

Find a different heart, find a new face

I am new to this industry, I am new to life

But life is cake, and I’ve had my first slice

I” jumped” in a pool at 6 weeks old. 3 years later, I was swimming competitively for my summer league team. 13 years later, I was the 10th fastest 50 freestyler in the nation. Swimming shaped my personality as a team player and and a never-giver-upper. I am beyond grateful to have swum for UCLA because it taught me to live with grit and determination while striving to do the best in everything I set my mind to. As an undergraduate, I majored in English and minored in Film and Media studies. Throughout these courses, I found that I was most passionate about storytelling through creative writing and short film making. My GoPro, pencil, and sunlight fashion a land where my creative juices flow. I love the word storytelling, but the purpose of storytelling is to make an impact on people’s life and ignite a movement that otherwise would not have been done if it weren’t for creative people like us.