Published: 08/07/2026 - 8:00 AM
Aidan Milligan has loved the water since he was a baby. His mom, Helen (an aquatic therapist) recognized it early. "Learning to swim has been the door for him. The door for everything."
Aidan swam competitively from age eight through high school, then went on to serve as manager for the Villanova University Women's Swim Team the year they won the national championship. He's got the ring. He's also a Special Olympics powerlifter and runs his own salsa business, donating proceeds to causes he believes in. But he's never far from the pool.
Today, Aidan is a Swim Instructor at the Haverford Y, teaching kids of all ages alongside one of his own teachers! It's a full-circle moment Helen never takes for granted. "The Y has, from day one, always accepted and included Aidan - from when he was an infant in daycare, to the day he got this job."
Aidan has his own advice for anyone who walks through these doors: "Keep improving yourself. Be you. Just keep on dreaming."
Get to know the swim programs, lesson types, and aquatics careers at the Y.