My name is Devin Marrero and I am a swimmer whose goal is to be a part of the US Paralympic Swim Team and compete in the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil. The fact that I have Cerebral Palsy just makes the journey a bit more challenging and satisfying for me.

I am a sophomore at Mercy College and have been swimming since I was a young child. I did not swim competitively until I joined the Special Olympics, and I loved it. I tried out for my high school swim team not thinking I was going to make it because of my disability, but to my surprise I did. When I am in the water I feel like I am free and nothing can stop me. I am an equal, I feel whole.

Unfortunately, during my junior year of high school swimming was cut due to budget cuts. I had not be in a pool in over two years until recently with the help of a local gym that provided me with use of their pool. There I swam every day to prepare for a classification meet that I attended in Augusta, Georgia. That is where my pathway to Rio began began. I qualified in all four of my events, the breaststroke, the butterfly, the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard freestyle.

Swimming has kept me motivated because I set personal goals and know I must work hard to achieve them. My family supports me both mentally and physically which gives me the drive to do better. And doing better means keeping the dream of competing in 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil alive and kicking with each stroke in the pool.

My journey is going to be costly. I have to join a swim team to train and I have to attend many more swim meets around the country in hopes of becoming a member of the US Paralympic Swim Team and represent the United States of America at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil.

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You can follow my progress on my Facebook page:

                      Devin Marrero Swims 4 Gold