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I was born on November 13th, 2003. I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. I was in an orphanage for the first year of my life. I was eventually adopted by an American family from Michigan. My Brother was also adopted from Russia, but from a different part. I was adopted on October 9, 2004. -
For Elementary school, I attended St. Matthew in Walled Lake. It was a small Lutheran school that had about 200 kids. When I first went into 4th grade, i ended up getting held back a grade. I started 4th and switched about a quarter of the way through. I went there through 4th grade, and then we ended moving.
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We lived in the same house until mom decided to move out to Rochester because she was tired of driving 2 to work per day! It was sad seeing the house I grew up in go but I know we needed to. She also wanted us to get a good high school education and the schools out here are much better academically. We ended up moving into a house right next to Oakland University, which is where I practice for swim. Which I'm greatly thankful for, because if we didn't move I wouldn't be able to swim in college -
I started swimming at a very young age, especially since my parents lived on the lake and we were always around water. My mom put me in lessons from a young age and I stuck with it as my sport. Since we moved I wanted to join a ne team, OLY Swimming. We practice out of Oakland University, and I'm glad to say it's my second home. I spend over 24 hours a week at the pool with my teammates. I've made so many relationships, that will last a lifetime.
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After we moved from Commerce to Rochester, my mom wanted to keep us in private school until at least 8th grade. She enrolled us into St. John because a mom on my new swim team said her daughter was going there. I ended up staying there for 2 years. I ended up switching schools again because my mom wanted better academic opportunities for me. My brother was in 8th grade at the time so he graduated from St. John. I switched to Trinity Utica.
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Switching from another school wasn't hard for me since I've already done it a few times. This time I didn't know anybody, which was a little frightening at first, but It was a good choice switching. Going there really gave me a good eye for science. It made me so interested in that sort of field. I've also made many relationships with students, that I even got to go through high school with.
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Being on a swim team is very competitive. There are time standards you have to go to go to certain meets. Nationals was the highest you could go on my team, and it was my dream to go. I worked hard and I ended up getting a cut in the mile by .32. That's less than half a second in a 18 minute race! It was an incredible moment for me and I can see it perfectly when I think about it. -
My spring break during my 8th grade year, my mom surprised us with a week trip to California. My moms friend was struggling with breast cancer, and she lives in California. My mom wanted to go see her and also give a fun trip for us. We did so many fun things like walking across Malibu's beach, we went to costa mesa, and stayed in luxurious hotels. The geography was beautiful with all the mountains. It was a perfect trip for my first vacation. -
My faith was really important to me, so I decided to get confirmed. It was a class we took throughout 7th and 8th grade. We participated in retreats and bible studies on most Sunday's. It was a great experience that I'm glad I did. We had a huge ceremony at the church and I had a party after with my family. -
I decided to go to Lutheran Highschool Northwest after my brother did 2 years of public school at Rochester adams. He hated it and didn't like how he wasn't allowed to talk about his faith, which is something i didn't want to deal with. Making the choice to go to LHNW was awesome! I've made so many great relationships and it's made my faith life stronger. Getting to learn about God and worship him daily was totally worth it.
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We already had a small dog at the time, but my mom wanted to surprise my brother with another dog because he really wanted one. So me and my mom went and got a golden retriever and brought it home as a surprise. We named him Isaiah, because it means God saves. He's a huge baby and loves to lay all over you. Bad part is that we have to vacuum our house 1-2 times a day because he sheds so much. -
My dream in life is to become a pilot. I just think traveling the world for free is something you shouldn't pass up. In 2020, I decided to take classes. It was hard with my swim schedule so I couldn't be too involved, but after I graduated from college I plan on going to flight school. Flying by myself was such a cool opportunity. I took my best friend Michelle with me. -
During my college recruiting process I went on visits to many school. I was talking to the Northern Michigan coach and he invited me on a visit to come tour the school. My family and I drove up for the weekend, and it was a fun trip! We spent Saturday at the school, and Friday and Sunday looking around the area and exploring. Driving over the Mackinac Bridge and driving along the Michigan's coastline was unforgettable. -
I knew once I hit about 8th grade that I wanted to swim in college, but I didn't know how far my talent would take me. I knew I didn't want the pressure of a big 10 school. Talking to many schools and learning about al the different programs, Saginaw was the one that felt like home. I committed very early for my class, but I knew it's where God was calling me to be. It's an honor to me because I'll be the first in my family to be a college athlete. -
I've had a small lifeguarding job the past couple summers, but I don't count that as a real job. I decided to get an actual job the summer of 21. I applied to 14 different places! I took the first job that got back to me the quickest. Papa Joes ended up being who got back the fastest. I got to work in the bakery. I baked all sorts of things like muffins, pies, cookies, granola, Bundt cakes and so much more. They worked so well with my swim schedule and the people are so nice. -
Since my family is always around water, we participate in a lot of water activities. Everyone in my family knows how to ski and wakeboard and pretty much all other sports. I was always too scared to try, but this past summer I manned up! I got up on my first try which was surprising for me. It was a lot of fun once you got the hang of how to get up. It made your arms and legs super sore. It was totally worth it. -
My best friend, Michael Tuomi and I became friends back in 7th grade when I switched to Trinity. He was my first close guy friend, and we stayed close all 4 years of high school. We got really close during water wars the summer before our senior year, and we eventually started dating. We plan on going to Saginaw Valley together. He's my biggest supporter, he comes to most of my swim meets and I'm so excited for him to be next to me the next four years. -
Having my friends be a year older was hard since they leave for college and I'm still in high school. We decided as a group once we all turned 18, that we would get together and do 18 things. We divided each thing up so we each had to come up with a few things to do, but the others couldn't know what we chose. It was a lot of fun. My friend, Michelle, brought her tripod with her so we could take pictures at every event. -
For my 18th Birthday I decided since I spend every other day at the pool, to take a day off and spend it with my family and friends. Me, my mom, Michael Tuomi (my boyfriend) my brother Shawn, and my Dad took a trip up to Frankenmuth. The weather ended up being bad but we made the most of it. We walked around Frankenmuth and went into a ton of shops. We went to my favorite restaurant, Uptown, which is in Commerce where we used to live. -
Championship season for swimming is usually around the month of March. For college, club, or even high school, March is a pretty important time. I recently had my last meet (short course) with my team, OLY. It was pretty emotional for me since I've been on this team for so long and all of the memories come to an end. I'm excited for what's to come next because I still have 4 years of college swimming ahead of me.