Eleven years ago, a father pushed his daughter in a pool to help overcome her fear of cold and deep water. In panic of drowning, she started kicking and gasping for breath.

That same girl, Thuy Phi, now 18, just made it to the California State Championship in swimming for the De Anza College swim team, where she placed in the top eight.

“I was always scared of water, but I learned to love it,” Phi said. “After my dad pushed me in the pool, I started kicking and realized it was actually fun.”

Aside from drawing, reading and writing poems, swimming has become an important part of her life.

“It is a smart sport and requires strategy,” Phi said. “I feel like it makes me grow as a person.”

Phi, who also swims for a swim club in Saratoga, said she likes the cohesive nature of the sport as well as her close-knit team members and coaches.

“They watch your failures and successes and are always there for you,” Phi said. “They are like my second family.”

Regarding the past season and the state championship, Phi said her team grew closer together than ever and she is happy to have such supportive coaches and teammates who support each other no matter how each swimmer scores.

Jane Kim, 20, one of Phi’s closest friends and teammate said Phi is like a little sister to her.

“She is responsible and serious, but also knows when to have fun,” Kim said.

Even though Phi dedicates a lot of time to swimming, she said her real passion is her major in nursing.

“I like the hospital environment and the possibility to help people,” Phi said.

Phi, a nursing major, volunteers at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara and Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. Phi said she has had great experiences while volunteering and is going to have an internship at Stanford this summer.

“I love talking to patients,” Phi said. “You ask if they need anything and they start telling you their life stories with such passion in their eyes.”

After graduating from De Anza, Phi hopes to transfer to the University of Michigan or the University of Washington.

“I don’t worry about the place or people,” Phi said. “I just want to go to a school where I know I will succeed.”

Kim, also a nursing major, takes the same classes as Phi and said Phi has always been focused on her goals.

“I know many individuals who look up to her,” Kim said.