19-year-old Olivia Newman-Baronius says the award helps her recognise her own achievements.
Bucks New University awarded the para-swimmer and Paris 2024 gold and bronze medallist in recognition of her "remarkable sporting achievements".
Olivia, who grew up in Leighton Buzzard and trained at Maxwell Swim Club in Aylesbury, has been swimming competitively since six-years-old when she joined local club, Linslade Crusaders, and at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games won gold as part of Great Britain’s mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team, as well as an individual bronze in the S14 100m backstroke.
Bucks New Uni said in their announcement of the award that Olivia has overcome "some major challenges, including serious illness, learning challenges and an autism diagnosis" and that through it all she found confidence and a sense of belonging in the pool.
Olivia also told them (external):
“When I’m in the pool I feel calm because everything is quite quiet. It’s something I’m good at and people are positive around it, rather than it being a negative, which is reassuring.”
They said her advice to graduates is: “Don’t listen to people when they don’t believe in you. Anyone can do anything, if you just really, really want to do it.”
Olivia also told Bucks New Uni receiving the award is ‘really nice’ as it allows her to recognise her own achievements and the impact her journey has had on others.
“This award means a lot to me because at my level I’m surrounded by amazing people who are really good at swimming all the time. So I forget that not everyone is like that and it’s really nice to hear that people are inspired by what I’ve done."
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