Throughout this exciting summer, Swimming World worked with a motley crew of journalism interns to cover meets, storylines and events across the globe! They did a fantastic job of expanding our reach into the aquatic world we love so much. From gaining our very first water polo intern to covering the 2020 Olympic Refugee Team, our inquisitive interns challenged themselves to learn and spread awareness of the inspiring stories and events taking place around the globe.
Take some time to get to know the faces and lives behind the articles you’ve enjoyed this year!
Photo Courtesy: Haley Wen
1. Haley Wen
Haley is a ’19 alum from NYU, where she studied politics and psychology. Originally from Columbia, Missouri, she swam for Columbia Swim Club for nine years. At NYU, Haley was a four-time National team member and a team captain for two years. Her background and thoughtful reflections on the sport have led to some impactful stories throughout the summer.
“This internship has been a great opportunity to share my unique perspective with the swimming community. I felt like I was able to find my voice and spread awareness of the issues that I find important. It was a great way to share my love of the sport as well as learn more about it through research and reading the work of my fellow interns!”
Read Haley’s favorite story she wrote about the concept of body neutrality by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Proteeti Sinha
2. Proteeti Sinha
Proteeti Proteeti is heading into her sophomore year at Carnegie Mellon University with a Computer Science major and a minor in Business. She has been swimming since she was five and has swum at the national level in India. She is a huge swim nerd and is always keen to talk about all things swimming!
“This internship was an incredible opportunity – I’ve always loved swimming, but now I know that I love writing about it as well! The writing and editing process made me a better writer, and the research for each story helped me learn so much about this awesome sport. I’ve always followed Swimming World’s event coverage, sometimes refreshing the page every few minutes to see the live results, so to be able to do meet coverage myself was amazing. I’ve loved reading my fellow interns’ articles as well – all in all this has been a great experience!”
Read Proteeti’s favorite story she wrote about the history of butterfly by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Molly Griswold
3. Molly Griswold
Molly Griswold grew up in New Jersey but moved to Florida to swim and attend Nova Southeastern University. As a dual admission sophomore, she plans to graduate with a marketing major and communications minor in 2021, then earn her MBA in 2022. She has future hopes of working for the United States Olympic Committee.
“My internship with Swimming World has allowed me to use my creative freedom to write meaningful stories throughout the summer. Not only have I loved writing articles, but also sharing experiences, forming connections and hearing feedback has been even more rewarding! Thanks Swimming World for a great summer!”
Read Molly’s favorite story she wrote about summer league swimming by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Daniela Navarrete
4. Daniela Navarrete
The summer marked Dani’s second summer as an intern with us! A native from Cancun, Mexico, Daniela moved to Panama during her junior year of high school and has represented this Central American country three times. She majors in sport management and marketing at Lewis University and competes on their swim team.
“They say, ‘You learn to write better by reading,” and, “You learn to read better by writing.’ It is true. This internship has helped me learn more about swimming from a research perspective. To write a great story, I needed to read a lot first.
This is the second time I have done the summer internship, and going back to school last year, I realized how much I improved as a writer. It has also been fun to read what my co-interns write about. We are all from different parts of the world and it is interesting how each of us shows a unique style in our stories. Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity, Swimming World!”
Read Dani’s favorite story she wrote this summer about Melissa Rodriguez’s Olympic Dream by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Madeline Ladd
5. Madeline Ladd
Madeline joins us from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and has been swimming competitively since she was seven. She specializes in the 100 and 200 backstroke and competes in the Middle Atlantic LSC with Coatesville Area Aquatics. She is a rising junior at Villa Maria Academy High School and is employed as a part-time lifeguard and swim instructor at the local YMCA.
“I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to intern at Swimming World Magazine. Getting to interview various figures and organizations across the country has been an eye opening experience. I feel as if I have really grown as a writer, all while having the chance to write about topics that interest me. My time as an intern was certainly rewarding, and is something I will truly remember forever.”
Read Madeline’s favorite story she wrote about Taking the Leap with Red Bull Cliff Diving by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Sarah Noll
6. Sarah Noll
Sarah Noll is a sophomore backstroker at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She has been swimming for fifteen years and has loved every second of it. Sarah is a health science major at Wesleyan with a minor in human biology and plans on attending Physician’s Assistant school when she graduates.
“I started out this internship just wanting to develop my writing skills and to keep my mind engaged during the summer. What this internship became was a way to share the lessons the pool, coaches, and other swimmers have taught me over my sixteen years of swimming with others in a way I never could have before.”
Read Sarah’s favorite story she wrote about 5 Ways to be a Better Swimmer by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Claire Russell
7. Claire Russell
Claire is a member of the Bryant University Women’s Swim Team, specializing in distance freestyle. Claire is originally from Naperville and loves the Chicago Cubs and deep dish pizza. She believes that a Midwest passionate heart and an East Coast competitive mindset are the perfect combo for the 1650.
“This internship presented me with the opportunity to write about topics that truly interested me and what I was passionate about while bettering my writing skills and gaining meaningful experience towards my future aspirations. I loved having the creative freedom to develop original topics and conduct interviews with inspiring members of our aquatic community.
My favorite part of the internship experience this summer was developing connections with my fellow interns from across the globe. We supported one another by sharing each other’s articles, commenting on their articles, and giving shout-outs for well-written articles. I will definitely miss my early morning writing sessions at Starbucks, the new camaraderie with my fellow interns, and especially all the support from Swimming World to help better my writing everyday.”
Read Claire’s favorite story she wrote about the first water park designed for disabled kids by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Danny Whirlow
8. Danny Whirlow
“I am eternally grateful to the people at Swimming World Magazine for not only giving me the platform to share my ideas, but to come to an even greater appreciation of the sport of swimming. My narrow NCAA-view has been shattered wide open, revealing a subtle worldwide culture filled with its own triumphs and tribulations. As a writer, this internship allowed me to explore a new medium of delivering stories of all shapes and sizes to the masses, and I have gained greater insights into approaching subjects with a vision and a unique angle; not to mention the new sense of clarity I believe my ideas and writings, journalistic and otherwise, have gained. Thank you Swimming World. Thank you, swimming.”
Read Danny’s favorite story he wrote about 4 Principles Fred Rogers Leaves Us by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Jennifer Yoo
9. Jennifer Yoo
Jennifer was born in Toronto but grew up in Columbia, Maryland. She is a rising junior at St. Mary’s College of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English and film/media studies with an education minor.
“This internship was extremely important to me because it gave me an inside peek into a career that I dreamed about having since I was a little girl. Although this internship was challenging at times, I believe that it helped me to grow as a person and as a journalist. I’m thankful for this experience and am excited for the future!”
Read Jennifer’s favorite story she wrote about Making a Difference One Triathlon at a Time by clicking HERE!
Photo Courtesy: Alexa Kutch
10. Alexa Kutch
Alexa Kutch is currently a junior at Drexel University and a member of their Division I swimming and diving program. She is majoring in secondary education with a minor and concentration in English.
“While teaching may be my true passion, I have always had a love for writing. The fact that I was able to get this amazing opportunity in journalism is something I never thought I’d be able to experience. Now that I am more familiar with being a journalist, I would love to create an elective class someday for my students and teach them about how to write articles, etc. I’m very thankful that I was chosen to be a part of this program and I highly encourage other swimmers to apply for it!”
Brief note on Proteeti Sinha is thrilling.