Phoebe Hines, coming from Queensland, Australia, brings a sense of competitiveness, community interaction, and talent to Hawai’i. Being an international student, Hines has had a lot of responsibilities on her back from a young age. With this load, getting to know her fellow teammates made life a lot easier. This sense of comfort pushed her to greater limits when competing in the water.

“As soon as you meet [teammates], they are always there for you,” she said.

After her first couple days of swimming with the University of Hawai’i, she felt she had fostered a strong bond. Now, being the second female All-American athlete at Hawai’i since 2006, she knows competition defines where she comes from. When competing on the mainland, she tries to effectively handle her surroundings.

Being a national athlete from Hawai’i, it presented Hines with an unusual amount of attention. When being a top contender for the national title, she was swarmed by the press and published all over. She would walk into Safeway and people would recognize her as Phoebe Hines!

With this sense of community and ambitious drive, Hines tries to support the local environment. Through teaching, and cleaning up the beach, Hines tries to save time in her jam-packed schedule to work on these community projects. It provides her with an everlasting value outside the pool and ocean. Although she looks to swimming at the professional level for many years to go, after that, this community service will help her become the beloved teacher she wants to be.