{"id":25178,"date":"2025-08-20T15:27:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=25178"},"modified":"2025-10-10T14:32:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T21:32:20","slug":"usc-twins-and-incoming-first-year-students-amelia-and-sarah-blatt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-twins-and-incoming-first-year-students-amelia-and-sarah-blatt\/","title":{"rendered":"The twins making waves at USC Dornsife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Twin sisters wearing swim suits, caps and goggles lean on one another\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Twins Sarah Batt (left) and Amelia Batt swam across Scotland\u2019s Loch Lomond in 2024 \u2014 an open-water swim notorious for its cold, dark water. (Photos: Courtesy of Amelia and Sarah Batt.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>The twins making waves at USC Dornsife<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  From record-breaking open-water swims to navigating their father\u2019s cancer diagnosis, incoming freshmen Amelia and Sarah Batt are diving into life on campus, bringing resilience, curiosity and a passion for discovery to their next chapter.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Susan Bell<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">August 20, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>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\u2019s UNICEF Club and Model UN team and volunteering as Special Olympics coaches. They also share an extraordinary achievement: Both have swum the English Channel \u2014 one of the world\u2019s toughest open-water challenges.<\/p>\n<p>They even share a birthday \u2014 the young women are fraternal twins.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/\">political science<\/a> for Sarah and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/arch\/\">archaeology and heritage studies<\/a> for Amelia \u2014 and they will live apart for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia looks forward to forging her own identity. \u201cIt was fine in high school being known as \u2018The Twins,\u2019 but now I want to be called by my own name,\u201d she says. Sarah agrees.<\/p>\n<p>However, they are determined that their deep mutual respect and thriving mutual support system will remain strong \u2014 as will their passion for swimming.<\/p>\n<h2>Twins face adversity together<\/h2>\n<p>For the twins, open-water swimming has been both a lifelong pursuit and a lifeline \u2014 teaching resilience, adaptability and self-confidence.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Since age 12, they have tackled daunting swims, from crossing to Alcatraz Island off San Francisco\u2019s shore to the dark, frigid waters of Scotland\u2019s Loch Lomond, which they swam as a co-ed relay, becoming the first Americans \u2014 and women \u2014 to cross. \u201cOpen-water swimming taught me how much I can achieve,\u201d Amelia says. \u201cIt seems impossible, but you can do it with enough hard work and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They swam the English Channel in 2022 as a relay, finishing on their first attempt in 12 hours.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah recalls intense cold, choppy water, busy shipping lanes \u2014 and jellyfish stings. \u201cWe swim without wetsuits, and at one point I had a jellyfish in my swimsuit,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to exit the water, but we would have been disqualified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When their father was diagnosed with Stage 3 throat cancer in their freshman year of high school, swimming became a refuge. \u201cYou\u2019re so focused on the cold, the currents \u2014 you\u2019re not thinking about anything else,\u201d Amelia says.<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cThe main thing it gave me, especially in challenging times, was a sense of stability,\u201d says Sarah. \u201cIt made me realize that I\u2019m more adaptable than I think I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Swimming also brings out the twins\u2019 competitive nature, encouraging them to push themselves \u2014 and each other. That competitiveness, they say, has made them better swimmers. However, they avoid academic rivalry. \u201cIt would be destructive emotionally,\u201d says Sarah. \u201cInstead, we respect each other and help each other out.\u201d Indeed, being a twin means built-in support \u2014 Sarah often swims ahead of Amelia in relays, reassuring her she will be fine when her turn comes.<\/p>\n<h2>Drawn to the Trojan Spirit<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25180\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25180\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25180\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-instory-a-441x550.jpg\" alt=\"Twin sisters stand with mascot Tommy Trojan and display the \u201cFight On!\u201d gesture\" width=\"320\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-instory-a-441x550.jpg 441w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-instory-a-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-instory-a-768x957.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/batt-twins-instory-a.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25180\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amelia Batt (right) and her twin sister, Sarah Batt, meet Tommy Trojan on their first visit to USC in April.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The twins chose USC Dornsife for its extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/the-fya-experience\/\">advising<\/a> support, Los Angeles location, diverse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usc.edu\/student-organizations-and-clubs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">extra-curricular activities<\/a>, and strong community and school spirit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing compares to the spirit of USC and the Trojan Family. I really enjoy that sense of community \u2014 I could feel it as soon as I first set foot on campus,\u201d says Amelia.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that at USC it\u2019s possible to take classes in other schools is also a plus. \u201cIt makes the academic experience a lot more enjoyable when you feel you\u2019re part of a community of learners,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Both twins are excited to join USC Dornsife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/thematic-option\/\">Thematic Option Honors Program<\/a>, with Sarah planning to study family dynamics while Amelia has opted for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/thematic-option\/prospective-students\/sample-courses\/core-102\/\">The Reasons of Love<\/a>,\u201d a class exploring differences between love and passion.<\/p>\n<p>They will also continue studying languages: Sarah, who took Latin in high school, has signed up for <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/latin-american-and-iberian-cultures\/\">Spanish<\/a>, while Amelia is taking <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/fren-ital\/\">French<\/a>. Both are eager to <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/overseas-studies\/\">study abroad<\/a> and keen to explore new opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to exploring interests that I\u2019ve never had the opportunity to learn about before,\u201d Amelia says. \u201cFor instance, I\u2019m taking an oceanography class, which doesn&#8217;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.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Freshman sisters look ahead to meaningful futures<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Their advice to others? \u201cJust try,\u201d says Sarah. \u201cNot everything will work out, but even the hard experiences will teach you something. Start small. You\u2019ll be surprised how far you can go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Amelia and Sarah along with many of their fellow students are getting settled in on campus this week. See USC News for coverage of <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/during-move-in-week-trojans-quickly-begin-making-friends-and-memories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Move-In Day 2025 &gt;&gt;<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-magazine-wins-prsa-2026-bronze-anvil-award\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife Magazine honored with one of the communications field\u2019s most prestigious awards<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/top-k-12-students-to-compete-in-science-olympiad-at-usc\/\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >Top K-12 students to compete in Science Olympiad at USC<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/armenian-studies-institute-advances-contemporary-focus-and-celebrates-twenty-years\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >From community dream to academic force in contemporary Armenian studies<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From record-breaking open-water swims to navigating their father\u2019s cancer diagnosis, incoming freshmen Amelia and Sarah Batt are diving into life on campus, bringing resilience, curiosity and a passion for discovery to their next chapter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":25179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[124,72,119,97],"class_list":["post-25178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student","tag-archaeology","tag-campus-news","tag-political-science-and-international-relations","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The twins making waves at USC Dornsife<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Extreme swims and a father\u2019s cancer diagnosis prove incoming freshmen 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