by Levi Brandenburg
The Paducah Sun
November 29, 2022
Used with permission.
Paducah Tilghman High School senior swimmer Madison Patel has learned much in her years in a pool.
“Swimming and swim team has always been a huge part of my life,” Patel said. "I have two sisters and both of them are in it too, but I was the first. I started in first grade and ever since I started, I loved it. I’ve done absolutely everything I can and while I have missed out on a bunch of school events, and it's had its ups and downs, for a lot of people ups and downs are the ending point for them. But I’m still swimming.”
Since joining the Paducah Swim Team in 2011, the 17-year-old Patel has had many accomplishments, including maintaining a top eight position for nine straight years as a Kentucky state champion swimmer, putting in 23 hours of training a week year-round, competing at least once monthly and being team captain for two years.
Swimming has also helped her to advance her own work ethic and drive.
“It’s definitely taught me discipline, I think,” she said.
“When I started in seventh grade, I started doing two practices a day. I got up before 4:30 to get going at practice at 5:30 and getting ready for school immediately after that. It really is like a discipline thing. It's really hard not to be able to go to certain school events because I know I want to put in the effort more than anything, and it's especially hard getting up at 4:30 and having to stay up late to finish homework. The discipline it has taught me is my greatest takeaway.”
The swim team also lead Patel to a part-time job as a swim instructor.
“It’s been really surreal to work with these kids, helping them with these skills that I’m also learning,” she said.
“It has definitely helped me like ingrain those skills in my swimming for sure. I'm constantly helping these kids focus on improving their swimming. I definitely think the lessons are the thing that got me to realize I wanted to go into like a pediatric nursing thing. I just realized how much I love working with kids and babies.”
In addition to swimming, Patel is a member of Future Business Leaders of America. She's also a part of her school’s Beta Club, serving as the club's vice president.
“I've been taking marketing classes at Tilghman every single year,” she said. “It’s not something I want to go into, but I know it's something that can teach me lessons and build my character a lot. It’s really opened my eyes to what every job does. In FBLA, I’ve been able to compete with my friends and it's just really fun.”
Patel, daughter of Dr. Shiraz and Melanie Patel of Paducah, is this week’s Murray State University Teen of the Week.
Each Tuesday, The Sun publishes articles on outstanding regional high school seniors. From the final 32 students chosen, one will be chosen as the Teen of the Year around the end of the school year. They will receive a $5,000 scholarship. A second student will receive the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
Patel has many plans for her future. She recently accepted an offer from Southern Methodist University for a swimming scholarship and plans to study nursing or pre-medical, following in her parents' footsteps.
“I
really can’t imagine anything other than the medical field honestly,”
she said. “I remember always playing in my dad's office and my mom just
returned to her nursing job. I have the same love of nursing she does. I
just love medicine and biology in general."