Junior, Gilmour Academy
While in elementary school Caruso saw her friend struggle with diabetes and would carry an emergency first-aid kit for him. That experience inspired the young swimmer to raise money for the Greater Cleveland Swim for Diabetes and even start a volunteer team at Gilmour Academy. Last year, the 16-year-old raised $1,500 for the organization. Pool cues: Caruso has been swimming for Gilmour since her freshman year and has been poolside since she was 7 years old. She specializes in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter backstroke. “When I was younger, backstroke naturally worked the best for me,” she says. “I only started IM as a freshman; my coach just wanted to see how I’d do in it.” giving back: Caruso earned the Guy A. Bozza Memorial Scholarship, presented to one incoming freshman at Gilmour each year. Motivated by the 1977 graduate’s generosity, Caruso used $300 she earned from her summer job to kick-start the student-funded Gateway to GA Scholarship, which will be awarded to students in need. “I wanted to give back,” she says. “He left a big legacy of helping other people and making a difference. I want to be like him.” Volunteer act: After an eye condition caused her to struggle with reading until the sixth grade, she enjoys working with teammates and friends at Gilmour in subjects such as history. “I like to help a lot of my younger classmates with homework and understanding all of the material,” she says. Next chapter: After graduating, Caruso would like to become an athletic trainer — like the Lancers staff who got her back in the pool after she collided with the wall doing the backstroke. “It got to the point where I couldn’t move my head at all,” she says. “I saw how much they helped me and how much they cared for the students. I saw that and was like, I want to do that.” Go-to playlist: Caruso admits her taste in music is all over the place — you’ll find anything from oldies such as Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” to Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer” on her playlist. “Really, anything that has an up-going beat,” she says. “Nothing really ever sad, anything that’s really happy.” App talk: While you won’t find Caruso playing Pokemon Go, she’s a fan of experimenting with Snapchat’s filters. “I like the face swap with the pictures, those are funny,” she says. “You can always create weird things.”
