More than a decade after graduating from Saint Peter’s University, three Peacock alumni are still making an impact on campus, this time from the deck of the University pool. Lovro Bilonic ’12, ’13, Ena Mrkic, LPC ’12, ’19 and Kamila Pawka ’17, ’19, ’26 are the founders of Swim Stars, a swim instruction program that has called the Saint Peter’s pool home since 2014.<\/p>\n
What began as private swim lessons has grown into a year-round program offering swim instruction, a competitive swim team and a summer camp, introducing children of all ages to the sport while building confidence both in and out of the water. The idea was born shortly after graduation. As former Division I swimmers, the trio had already been teaching individual swim lessons when Bilonic suggested bringing everything together under one program.<\/p>\n
“We were all teaching private swim lessons,” said Mrkic. “Right after graduating, it was Lovro’s idea to put a name to it and make it more organized.”Working with the elementary school where she was teaching at the time, Mrkic helped introduce the program to local families by offering lessons taught by former Division I student-athletes.<\/p>\n
Today, Swim Stars teaches children the fundamentals of swimming before progressing to stroke development and technique across all four competitive strokes. But for the founders, the program has always been about more than swimming.<\/p>\n
“Outside of the pool, we’ve created a community,” said Mrkic. “A lot of kids have become friends, and even their families have built relationships through our program.”<\/p>\n
Watching students grow in confidence has become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. “It’s awesome to see them getting better, becoming more confident and being proud of themselves,” Bilonic said. “Seeing parents happy and thankful for teaching their kids is incredibly rewarding. You can never have a bad day when you’re surrounded by kids who are smiling and having fun.”<\/p>\n
Now entering its 12th year, the program continues to serve families throughout the region while maintaining its connection to Saint Peter’s University.<\/p>\n
“It’s lovely to know the kind of outreach this program has had,” Pawka said. “We’re forever thankful to Saint Peter’s for trusting us with its facility and continuing to work with us. It’s the best thing that has happened to us.”<\/p>\n
For Bilonic, Mrkic, and Pawka, returning to the same pool where they competed as student-athletes is a reminder that the lessons learned at Saint Peter’s continue long after graduation and that giving back to the next generation is one of the greatest rewards of all.<\/p>\n