About Ali Truwit, Founder

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Ali Truwit is a 2-time Silver Medalist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and a 2-time American Record Holder in the S10 400 meter free and the 100 meter backstroke, S10 and the Founder of Stronger Than You Think, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non profit organization.   Follow Ali On Instagram.

DOB: 5/31/00 // Hometown: Darien, CT //  Resides: NYC  // Education: Yale University class of ‘23 // Hobbies: Family dogs Taco and Lucky, baking, running, traveling and the NYT Crossword puzzle // Passions: Mental health, emotional intelligence,  women in sports & female empowerment, Special Olympics and the intersection of healthcare & technology //

Qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games // Won gold in 100 back, 100 free and 400 free (S10) at the 2024 Paralympic Trials // Set the American record in 100 back at Trials after breaking it earlier in the year at the 2024 Para Swimming World Series USA // Posted two Top-3 World times (100 back & 400 free) at Trials // Silver Medal in 400 free at European Open Championships 2024 // Competed in distance freestyle events at Yale: 1650, 1000 and 500 // Multi-year, multi-event All Ivy League Championship Top 10 performer // 2020 Nationals Qualifier // Two-time USA Swimming Academic All-American // Won 1650 free at the 2018 Speedo Sectionals Championship Series // 2x Speedo Sectionals Championship Series Team Champion (2017 & 2018) //

Two days after graduating from Yale and shortly before her 23rd birthday, Ali was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in Turks and Caicos // Lost her foot to the shark and swam 75 yards to safety // Attributes her survival in the minutes after the attack to her swimming experience and her friend and Yale teammate, Sophie, who was in the water with her // Medical treatment continued after being med-evacuated to Miami where she underwent two life-saving surgeries // She was then airlifted to HSS in New York where they performed a transtibial amputation of her left leg on her 23rd birthday //

Earned a BS in Cognitive Science with a depth in Behavioral Economics // Originally set to enter the workforce as a Business Analyst at McKinsey and pursue her dream of attending Harvard Business School, her plans and goals shifted after the attack // Unsure of what her athletic and professional future looked like, she courageously decided to jump back in the water only one month following her amputation // About one year after the attack and with only a handful of para swimming competitions under her belt, she qualified 2024 Paris Paralympics //

Comes from a family of Division I athletes // has three brothers, including a twin brother, Cooper // Her mother, Jody, was captain of the Yale Women’s Swimming and Diving Team // Ran a marathon with her mom 10 days before the shark attack //

Recently founded Stronger Than You Think, Inc., a non-profit focused on supporting water safety, sports or activities involving athletes with an impairment and opportunities for athletes with limb loss // A notorious hugger since she was a toddler // Works closely with the Special Olympics // Led ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ campaigns at both high schools she attended // Served as co-President of the Yale Women’s Athletic Council and co-President of the Yale chapter of The Women’s Network // 

Discovered her passion for baking during the  COVID-19 pandemic and picked it up again as a self-care & mental health pursuit after her attack // She was making so many baked goods that she began giving them away, leading her to launch her own baking business called Truwit’s Treats and collaborating with the famous Caffe Panna in NYC // Currently working on several other projects including a documentary, podcast and book //