teen spotlight
photography by Lizzy Nicole Photography
stats
17, Senior at Homewood High School
notable
All-American swimmer
3.92 GPA
Executive President of SGA
Birmingham Belle
quotable
“My second grade teacher, Polly Hatfield, told me I had
perseverance. I have always thought back on this at difficult times
and remembered that I have to persevere.”
her story
Genny has been swimming competitively for about 10 years now.
Her swimming career hasn’t always been easy. She was faced with
extreme health challenges. But she didn’t use them as excuses to
quit. “They have inspired me to always continue on and know
that I can do anything once I commit to the goal.” Genny has
earned several honors as a swimmer including the Olympic Trial
Swimming Qualifier in 2012, and she’s been a four-time State
Champion in the 10-meter backstroke, an All-American swimmer since 2010, as well as a Scholastic All-American swimmer.
She also teaches swim lessons and is a swim coach in the summer.
swimming, studying and more
In addition to spending hours swimming every week, Genny
is heavily involved in other extracurricular activities like Peer
Helpers, SGA, Birmingham Belles and Church Lector. She’s also a
Birmingham Magazine “Super Student,” a member of the National
Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. To
top it all off, she also received the Homewood Chamber of Commerce Award as the outstanding student of Homewood Middle
School. Genny plans to swim in college at a Division 1 school and
major in exercise science and become a nurse.
genny pittman
PG (parental guidance) rating
Genny believes her parents are her No. 1 fans. “It’s very time
consuming, and they’re always supporting and motivating me.
When I was younger, they’d always get me to practice. Even if I
was upset, they didn’t let me give up on my goal.”
Birmingham, AL
parents’ perspective
John and Liz Pittman admire their daughter Genny’s dedication,
John commenting on her maturity and Liz admiring “her willingness to be prepared and strive to be the best she can.”
Genny has an incredible work ethic. She swims about nine
times a week before and after school and does 5 a.m. morning laps
and workouts. Her school counselor, Alison Hill said “Genny is an
avid swimmer. Her dedication is admirable, and her commitment
to her schedule and time management is outstanding.”
parent-to-parent
Liz believes parents should let their children learn from their
own mistakes. John added that parents should “open doors
and provide core values” like his parents have done for him.
He added, “The rest, they will develop.”
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