The Emory Senior Spotlight Series continues with a look at current student-athlete Grace Snyder from the women's swimming & diving team.

Name: Grace Snyder

Hometown (HS): Apple Valley, MN (Visitation School)

Sport: Women's Swimming & Diving

Major: Spanish with a Music Minor on the Pre-Med Track

** How did you start getting involved with swimming? How old were you when you started competing?

I started getting involved with swimming at age six and started competing at age nine through my first club team.

** Do you have any current plans for after graduation?

I plan to apply to Medical School and take a gap year, hoping to travel and engage in some more clinical experience.

** What is one piece of advice you would give to your freshman self?

Embrace every moment – not just in college but in life in general. It doesn't matter if you don't know what you want to major in your first year -- take in each opportunity as it comes, embrace the incredible faculty, and connect with different people of the University!

** Which Emory faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?

This is a very difficult decision because I think every one of my professors, coaches, and teachers have made an incredible impact on my Emory experience. However, my coach, Jon Howell, has made the greatest impact on me because he is someone who has seen my highs and lows as I have navigated my Emory academic and athletic experience and has helped me chase after my goals.

** What is one class would you retake just for fun and why?

I would re-take Jazz with Dr. Andrews – this class was not in person in the Fall of 2020, but the content was incredibly relevant for not only my passion for music, but also for learning more about the history of our nation as well as the current social and political events across the world. The course would have been even more interesting if we could discuss the music and course's themes in person.

** What is the most unique thing about your hometown?

Minnesota has an unusual number of lakes, so especially into the winter and summer, skating around the Twin Cities and enjoying the outdoors up North is an absolute blast!

** What is something that people may not know about you but should?

I am a certified EMT!

** Other than swimming, what is another sport you think you could play at a high level?

Track and Field

** What is one professional athlete (past or present) would you like to have a conversation with and why?

Missy Franklin – she had an incredible swimming career, but she is a testament to relentlessness and grit in the face of adversity. I would most definitely want to hear her experience as a swimmer and all that she learned from the process.

** How have you been trying to occupy your time with given the current COVID environment?

I have been trying to utilize the quiet time to connect with new people, draw closer to my friends and family, write more letters, and practice my violin a lot more.

** Food you hate that everybody else seems to enjoy?

Tomatoes

** What would you say are your top three movies or television shows of all time?

Miracle, Hunt for the Wilder People, Elf

** What is your favorite thing to do around Atlanta?

Order Anticos pizza to-go and then have a picnic at Piedmont Park with friends!

** What has been your most memorable moment during competition during your Eagles career?

Chanting Warpath with the entire team before every meet and then racing in the 200-medley relay right after is by far the most memorable moment during competition!  There is nothing that beats the sheer excitement from that cheer to get pumped to race.

** Favorite non-athletic moment from your past few years at Emory?

When AJR came for the spring outdoor concert on campus during my sophomore year – that was such an amazing night!

** What would be one thing you'd like to impart to the underclassmen before finishing your career?

Seize all of Emory's incredible opportunities that are interesting to you! There are so many ways to get involved on campus, and I would encourage finding a group outside of your sports team to get to know the student body in a new way.