Eden Schroeder, With Dr. Chippy By Her Side, Is Progressing In The Pool And Toward Her Doctorate

One day, Eden Schroeder will officially be Dr. Eden Schroeder.

And while the Para swimmer from Atlanta still has a way to travel on the road ahead to reach that point, she’s making significant strides this summer. Schroeder, 24, was recently awarded her white jacket, signifying her progress from the classroom to clinical rotations as she pursues her doctorate in clinical psychology at Mercer University in Decatur, Georgia.

Along with Dr. Chippy, her service dog, who got her white coat, too.

“My classmates are obsessed with her,” Schroeder said of Chippy. “She goes to every class and swim meet with me, so I had to do it. She’s putting in the work.”

So is Schroeder.

In August, she’ll begin doing both individual counseling and group therapy within the Grady Health System Action in Recovery program, working with the underserved population in downtown Atlanta.

“I’m excited about putting my skills into practice,” said Schroeder, who graduated from Georgia State with an undergraduate degree in psychology in 2025. “I think when it comes to psychology, people think it’s just a lot of talking to people, but there are a lot of intricacies and techniques, and I’m looking forward to applying that. Also working with a population that’s underserved, going through homelessness and addiction and serious mental health issues.”

Schroeder’s work in the pool continues, too. She recently returned from the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Boise, Idaho, where she raced the 50-meter freestyle and backstroke and the 100-meter freestyle and backstroke.

“I was on my normal pace, but my splits were a little different than what I’m used to,” she said. “With school, it’s been a little interesting keeping up with training and trying to balance both. I was getting PRs for the first 50, but on the way back during the 100s my endurance was a little slower than normal. I was happy with the splits, though.”

Schroeder is in the unique position of being the only female S1 swimmer in the U.S.  and one of, to the best of her knowledge, only two in the world. Para swimming uses a classification system designed to allow swimmers of similar abilities to compete against one another, even if they don’t have the same diagnoses or disabilities. The S1 classification is for swimmers with the greatest level of impairment. Schroeder is a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down with paralysis also in her hands and triceps, following a neck injury when she was 18 years old.

Because women’s S1 events aren’t currently included in the programs for major meets, including the Paralympic Games and upcoming Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in August, Schroeder would need to qualify as an S2 swimmer in order to compete.

“I was hoping to go to Para Pans, but I was a couple seconds off the cut time for S2,” she said. “Swimming up (in the next-highest classification) is always a little tricky. But we’ll try next time.”

Schroder will also have to miss the upcoming Jimi Flowers Classic because of a school commitment, but she does plan to race in the John H. Ogden Northeast Para Open in August in Beverly, Massachusetts.

When she’s not in the water or working toward her degree, you might also find Schroeder on her handcycle accompanying roommate Heather Jones, who was her physical therapist right after her injury, on runs around the neighborhood or in competition. Jones is training for an Ironman 70.3, and the pair recently completed the Publix Atlanta Half-Marathon.

“That’s the first one I’ve done with her,” Schroeder said. “I think I’m more there for support for her, so it’s me talking to her the whole time when she’s kind of dying. I think it would be more difficult in a racing chair, but when biking it’s not too hard.”

Schroeder’s original intent when starting graduate school was to help people with spinal cord injuries navigate and build their new lives. While that’s still on the table, she’s also taking time to explore her options.

“Because my program is so long, it’s the time to explore so I’m also interested in serious mental illness and addiction,” she said. “Rehab psychology in general is what I’m drawn to still, but I’ve also thought about sports psychology since I’m already involved in that and so I’ve thought about dipping my toe into that to see if I like it or not. I’m trying to stay open.”

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.