The twins making waves at USC Dornsife

Amelia and Sarah Batt shared many things while growing up in San Francisco. A bedroom. Intellectual curiosity. A commitment to service, co-leading their high school’s UNICEF Club and Model UN team and volunteering as Special Olympics coaches. They also share an extraordinary achievement: Both have swum the English Channel — one of the world’s toughest open-water challenges.

They even share a birthday — the young women are fraternal twins.

Now, as they join USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences this fall, Amelia and Sarah are determined to carve out individual identities. They will pursue different majors — political science for Sarah and archaeology and heritage studies for Amelia — and they will live apart for the first time.

Amelia looks forward to forging her own identity. “It was fine in high school being known as ‘The Twins,’ but now I want to be called by my own name,” she says. Sarah agrees.

However, they are determined that their deep mutual respect and thriving mutual support system will remain strong — as will their passion for swimming.

Twins face adversity together

For the twins, open-water swimming has been both a lifelong pursuit and a lifeline — teaching resilience, adaptability and self-confidence.

After learning to swim almost at the same time they learned to walk, Amelia and Sarah began open-water swimming when pools closed during the pandemic and, despite the cold, soon fell in love with the sport.

Since age 12, they have tackled daunting swims, from crossing to Alcatraz Island off San Francisco’s shore to the dark, frigid waters of Scotland’s Loch Lomond, which they swam as a co-ed relay, becoming the first Americans — and women — to cross. “Open-water swimming taught me how much I can achieve,” Amelia says. “It seems impossible, but you can do it with enough hard work and determination.”

They swam the English Channel in 2022 as a relay, finishing on their first attempt in 12 hours.

Sarah recalls intense cold, choppy water, busy shipping lanes — and jellyfish stings. “We swim without wetsuits, and at one point I had a jellyfish in my swimsuit,” she says. “I wanted to exit the water, but we would have been disqualified.”

When their father was diagnosed with Stage 3 throat cancer in their freshman year of high school, swimming became a refuge. “You’re so focused on the cold, the currents — you’re not thinking about anything else,” Amelia says.

The twins are unanimous in their appreciation of the powerful sense of accomplishment they gain from open-water swimming in terms of courage and physical and mental stamina. “The main thing it gave me, especially in challenging times, was a sense of stability,” says Sarah. “It made me realize that I’m more adaptable than I think I am.”

Swimming also brings out the twins’ competitive nature, encouraging them to push themselves — and each other. That competitiveness, they say, has made them better swimmers. However, they avoid academic rivalry. “It would be destructive emotionally,” says Sarah. “Instead, we respect each other and help each other out.” Indeed, being a twin means built-in support — Sarah often swims ahead of Amelia in relays, reassuring her she will be fine when her turn comes.

Drawn to the Trojan Spirit

The twins chose USC Dornsife for its extensive advising support, Los Angeles location, diverse extra-curricular activities, and strong community and school spirit.

“Nothing compares to the spirit of USC and the Trojan Family. I really enjoy that sense of community — I could feel it as soon as I first set foot on campus,” says Amelia.

The fact that at USC it’s possible to take classes in other schools is also a plus. “It makes the academic experience a lot more enjoyable when you feel you’re part of a community of learners,” she says.

Both twins are excited to join USC Dornsife’s Thematic Option Honors Program, with Sarah planning to study family dynamics while Amelia has opted for “The Reasons of Love,” a class exploring differences between love and passion.

They will also continue studying languages: Sarah, who took Latin in high school, has signed up for Spanish, while Amelia is taking French. Both are eager to study abroad and keen to explore new opportunities.

“I’m really looking forward to exploring interests that I’ve never had the opportunity to learn about before,” Amelia says. “For instance, I’m taking an oceanography class, which doesn’t necessarily align with archaeology. But it reaffirms the fact that USC really encourages its students to take a variety of classes and try new things.”

Freshman sisters look ahead to meaningful futures

Amelia is interested in careers involving anthropological field or archival work. Sarah hopes her political science studies will one day enable her to combine public service with policy.

Their advice to others? “Just try,” says Sarah. “Not everything will work out, but even the hard experiences will teach you something. Start small. You’ll be surprised how far you can go.”

Amelia and Sarah along with many of their fellow students are getting settled in on campus this week. See USC News for coverage of Move-In Day 2025 >>