In this episode of Humans of Iowa State, Fallon DeWitt, a senior studying marketing, shared what it was like to join swimming at a young age and continue the sport into college. 

“I was born in Park City, Utah,” DeWitt said. “We lived there for a couple of years, until I was four. And then, we moved to Boulder, Colorado. My entire mom’s family lives in Colorado, so it was really great to have them around, especially growing up… We moved to be closer to them, and we weren’t right near them, but were close enough that my grandma would take me back from school.”

DeWitt’s story begins in Utah, where she was born. At the age of four, DeWitt moved to Boulder, Colorado, where her mother’s side of the family was living. Though she moved around as a child, one aspect was constant: athletics. 

“We eventually moved back to Park City, where we spent another six years,” DeWitt said. “That’s where I started swimming. And then we ended up moving to Portland, Oregon, my sophomore year of high school.”

Coming from an athletic family, DeWitt was required to participate in one sport at all times as a child. Uninterested in other sports, DeWitt joined swimming. 

“I ended up out here to swim,” DeWitt said. “Iowa State really wasn’t on my list to begin with because of the weather… But the more that I looked into it and looked at my options, Iowa State had all that I wanted.”

Although at first swimming was a chore for DeWitt, it quickly changed when she qualified for her first state meet. From that moment on, DeWitt was hooked. At Iowa State, she spent four years competing in swimming and will begin her master’s degree at Rutgers University, where she will compete in rowing.

“Our old assistant coach that was here, Kelly, did a great job recruiting me,” DeWitt said. “She really made it feel like she was getting to know me. I remember our first call, too, all of the schools I had calls with, I had a list of questions… After our first call, it was such a good conversation that I hung up and I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even ask three-quarters of these questions.’”

To watch the rest of DeWitt’s story, click the video link above the story. 

To have a chance to be the next Human of Iowa State, apply at this link.