Deborah, a native New Yorker, did not discover swimming until her college years, when she took to it like the proverbial fish to water. As her passion for swimming grew she also became a lifeguard and a swim teacher for high school students. After graduating high school from the New York City Museum School, Deborah competed for the Hunter College swim team until she graduated with a degree in Journalism and Literature. When Deborah is not in the water she is the Aquatics Coordinator at Hunter College, a journalist for various publications, and a happy mother of five dogs.