Rose O'Connor Senior Profile

DURHAM, N.C.- Recently, GoDuke.com sat down senior distance/freestyle swimmer Rose O'Connor to learn more about the Green Village, N.J. native.

GoDuke.com: What TV shows do you normally keep up?
Rose O'Connor: "The Bachelor", I think I'm one of the only people that still watches. "One Tree Hill", and I watch "Grey's Anatomy" and "Modern Family".

GoDuke.com: Do you have any embarrassing music on your iPod?
RO: I have a lot of music, I don't really think any of it's embarrassing, even my Disney music such as "Mulan" - "I'll Make a Man Out of You." I really like that one.

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite movie?
RO: "Love Actually".

GoDuke.com: Do you have any pre-rituals or superstitions?
RO: I always have the same lap counter for my distance events, my roommate Catherine Conklin, so before my race I always look at her and smile and we give each other a thumbs up.

GoDuke.com: What is on your bucket list?
RO: I want to travel everywhere.

GoDuke.com: What's the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome?
RO: Probably not making the ACC team my sophomore year, I was really upset about that. I was in a sophomore slump the whole year and not getting anywhere near my best times and it was kind of upsetting, but I just had to re-motivate myself for that spring to get back into it.

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite home-cooked meal?
RO: Thanksgiving, it's my favorite holiday.

GoDuke.com: Can you cook? What do you like to make?
RO: Yea, I love to cook, mostly with my mom. Our favor thing is to cook anything from this really good Mexican cookbook that we have from this Mexican restaurant in the city that we like to go to called Rosa Mexicana and the recipes are really good.

GoDuke.com: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
RO: Hopefully I would like to start a family and have a job that I love and a family I love.

GoDuke.com: What's your favorite class at Duke?
RO: I'm going to say a class I am in right now, Intro to Photography, I am just having so much fun with it.

GoDuke.com: Who has had the most impact on your life?
RO: Definitely my family, my parents, and two younger brothers, even though they are younger than me I'm inspired by them and my parents. My family is really important to me.

GoDuke.com: Describe Coach Dan Colella in one word.
RO: Positive.

GoDuke.com: Who would you trade places with for a day?
RO: I would want to trade places with my aunt when she was little, so I could know my dad and his older brothers when they were kids. I feel like they were really fun and I would want to hang out with them.

GoDuke.com: I wish I knew how to ______.
RO: Sing. My brothers and mom are really good singers, and I just didn't get that talent.

GoDuke.com: What was your first car?
RO: A Jeep Compass

GoDuke.Com: What is your worst habit?
RO: Not cleaning my room, I'm getting better at it!

GoDuke.com: Who would you want to play you in a movie?
RO: Sophia Bush

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?
RO: Thai Café.

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