Experiencing university competitive swimming as a Fulbrighter

I wanted to engage in more campus activities during my second semester at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte so I decided to join the swim club. This was an opportunity for me to stay physically active and to expand my circle of friends.

In my home country, Algeria, I had practiced swimming, but it had been purely leisure rather than competitive. As a result, my first session with the university swimming club seemed as if I had never swum before. The club members’ performance was far better than mine, their swimming was outstanding! Thankfully, they were willing to help me improve my swimming skills.

My determination and my competitive spirit led me to train up to 5 times a week. So, in only two weeks, my level has clearly improved. Before, I was out of breath after only 25yd of freestyle and now I manage to do 50yd easy with a flip turn.

I would like to thank Zack Wilson, the club president, and all the club members for giving me this opportunity.

Mohamed is a 2022 Fulbrighter from Algeria. He studies Computer Science at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.