Christopher High Swimmers Prepare for Life After Graduation

With a high school diploma in hand, three former swimmers are preparing for the future. Patch had the chance to chat with recent graduates Erica Shuster, James Benson and Marga Garcia and hear about their future academic and athletic plans.

Christopher High graduate James Benson, 18, plans to go to West Valley College for two years before transferring to a university. Although Benson initially become involved in Christopher High’s swim club to stay in shape for water polo, he said he doesn’t plan on giving up the sport any time soon.

"I can't really stop now, I've been [a swimmer] for so long and I'm just so involved,” he said. 

Erica Shuster, 17, started swimming after her father, Jim Shuster, got her into the sport. She's received scholarships to St. Mary's College where she’ll study business, and said she may try her luck at a new sport.

"They don't have a swim team, but I might do water polo or dance," she said. 

Marga Garcia, 18, was accepted to the where she plans on majoring in pre-law. She wants to become a lawyer and hopes to transfer to Stanford to obtain her law degree.  

Although the high school that Garcia attended her freshman year didn’t have a swimming pool, she excelled at swimming by utilizing recreational pools and quickly became Christopher High’s top swimmer when she transferred her sophomore year.

"I've been swimming for 11 years," Garcia said. "I started on the Gilroy Gators."

Before cleaning out their lockers at Christopher High, Garcia, Shuster and Benson competed in one last swim competition: the on May 5.

Christopher High’s swim team competed against four regional high schools—Seaside, Monta Vista Christian, Watsonville  and Monterey high schools—and competed in 20 events where they were evaluated on four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

In the end, Christopher High won second place with 446 points, following Monterey, which has been the champion for the last 12 years, with 803 points. Seaside came in third with 425 points, Monte Vista took fourth place with 407 points, and Watsonville came in fifth with 79 points.
       
Although the recent graduates will be busy pursuing their new academic careers, they'll never forget their swim-team days at Christopher High and encourage aspiring swimmers to pursue their dream.

"If you’re an incoming swimmer and you feel like you can't swim across a pool, believe in yourself, because you can do the unimaginable without having any experience,” Garcia said. "It doesn't take talent to be good—just a lot of hard work and dedication."