This event is free and open to the community

The University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Lydia Thering and Joan Hedrick Lecture Series will continue its speaker series with Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard on Tuesday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room.

Free and open to the community, Beard will speak about her personal struggles with mental health and well-being, and what she learned along the way to benefit others. A question-and-answer and meet-and-greet session will follow.

Beard was 14 years old when she made her first appearance in the Olympic Games and became the second-youngest swimmer in history to medal with one gold and two silvers. Over the course of the next 12 years, she was the recipient of eight USA Swimming National Titles, hold the FINA world record and world champion title for the 200-meter breaststroke, make three more appearances in the Olympic Games – accumulating another gold, two more silvers and a bronze – and twice serve as the USA Olympic Swimming team captain, thus carving her name deeply into the face of sports history.

Beard became a first-time co-author in 2012 with the release of the autobiographical New York Times bestseller “In the Water They Can’t See You Cry.” She used the personal recount as an opportunity to share aspects of her life previously kept private and in doing so managed to connect deeply with a new audience. She currently shares her story of professional and personal triumph via motivational speaking engagements and passes on her swimming expertise via clinics and private lessons.

The endowed Dr. Lydia C. Thering and Ms. Joan L. Hedrick Fund for Academic Enrichment and Excellence at the UW-Superior Foundation provides funding for this distinguished lecture series which emphasizes health, well-being and community relevant topics for the university community and greater Twin Ports region. Thering and Hedrick both gained Faculty Emeritus status upon retirement from UW-Superior for their dedication to education and commitment to health and well-being.

The Yellowjacket Union is located at 1605 Catlin Ave.