Project Evolution

Expansion

In 2020, I started 9th grade at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, a prestigious high school in the District-Maryland-Virginia area (“DMV”) with a reputation for academic intensity and an emphasis on service learning. Having completed the first phase of “Uplift thru Sport,” I was intent on scaling my program to reach a wider audience within the Alexandra community. I embarked on a networking campaign to parlay the relationships we had established with the Alex Baseball Club to leadership levels within Alexandra. Victor Ngoepe made initial introductions that ultimately led to meeting Linda Twala, who is widely recognized as the “father of Alexandra.”

uBaba Twala has dedicated his life to training Alexandra’s youth as well as taking care of Alexandra’s elderly. Through a series of Zoom sessions in November 2020, uBaba Twala and I explored various areas where we could collaborate. In a moment of reflection, uBaba Twala told me that “his dream was to teach the boys and girls of Alexandra to swim” since fatal drownings had claimed too many lives. As a competitive swimmer since the age of 8, I jumped at the opportunity to join efforts with uBaba Twala and help turn his dream into a reality. uBaba Twala’s protégé, Lawrence Ruele, also shared this same vision as a former scuba diver and supported my efforts to create the Alexandra Youth Swim Academy.

I spent much of my freshman year at the Potomac school working to shape what would become the AYSA. I enlisted the support of  my swim club, Nation’s Capital swim club (“NCAP”), one of the biggest and most successful in the United States. Much like I did when collaborating with the Great Falls Little League organization for my inaugural baseball drive, I promoted my “Uplift thru Sport” program via NCAP’s website, social media channels and through direct emailing to NCAP’s elaborate base of swimmers.

NCAP provided me a formidable platform from which to promote my program when they invited me to participate on a December 2020 Leadership panel called “Community Outreach: How to Give Back.” I appeared on the panel alongside Olympian Katie Ledecky, a 7-time gold medalist, who was very complimentary of my program. I used this opportunity to formerly launch my program, which was jump-started by NCAP’s generous donation.

My efforts to define the vision of the Alexandra Youth Swim Academy culminated in the production of a “Service spotlight” video presentation that, in February 2021, was broadcast to the entire Potomac high school community. This was an ambitious step for a 9th grader that resulted in offers of support from both students and teachers alike. It also gave me a polished product that was used to solicit both donations and prospective partners.

Related stories

Join me in the race
to combat drowning

I’m Sasha Minsky, class of ‘24 from the
Potomac School in McLean, Virginia.

The children of Alexandra, South Africa are
drowning at an alarming rate, and I’m
committed to do something about this.

Please join me in the race to combat
drownings by teaching the boys and girls of Alexandra how to swim. It’s not just for fun, but for survival.

Join me in the race
to combat drowning

I’m Sasha Minsky, class of ‘24 from the
Potomac School in McLean, Virginia.

The children of Alexandra, South Africa are
drowning at an alarming rate, and I’m
committed to do something about this.

Please join me in the race to combat
drownings by teaching the boys and girls of Alexandra how to swim. It’s not just for fun, but for survival.