Aleah (Amr) Ryan was a part of UCI's inaugural women's water polo team in 2001. She played for the Anteaters from 2001-2005, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Omar Amr, who played for the men's water polo team, and her sister who swam at UC Irvine.

During her time at UCI, she led the team in steals and was a top-10 goal scorer for the team. She also trained a lot with the men's water polo team under head coach Ted Newland. Ryan would show up for morning weights, and attend both the men's and women's practices. She credits Newland as the coach who helped develop her into a strong, well-rounded player and helped her succeed as an athlete at UCI.

Ryan's journey to UCI started through competitive swimming, she watched as her bother had success in water polo at the national level and began her own water polo career in high school. She was the first player to be awarded All-CIF Division II honors in high school and then chose to focus on water polo over swimming.

After a few recruiting trips, she chose to attend UC Irvine. Originally, Ryan attended to go out state for college, but after much discussion with her family decided to keep the Anteater tradition alive and enroll at UC Irvine.

"Playing at UCI was a largely positive experience throughout all four years on the team. There were some great seasons and some that the group and staff just weren't connecting. Once they did, it was some of the best memories of my life, and still are to this day," said Ryan.

"Some of the best moments I can remember were playing Hawaii my junior year, who was ranked in the top-five, and scoring the game winning goal. Also, my senior year we beat Cal at home, something the UCI women's team had not been able to do until 2020. I scored three goals in that game."

Ryan majored in sociology with a minor in education. She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). "Personally, I felt I grew so much as a person and was able to engage in so many new experiences academically that would end up being the foundation for my professional life. There were so many great self-discoveries happening on a daily basis that created a desire to pursue higher education and led me to the field of social work. I also created the best friendships."

Ryan currently works with Liberty Health Care as a consultant, servicing Regional Center clients who more from a developmental center into the community. She also works at UCI Medical Center as a medical social worker on the weekends. Ryan has previously worked as a social worker at a K-12 school.

Her career path started as a club water polo and swimming coach as well as a substitute teacher. She was the assistant swimming and diving coach at UCI from 2007-2009. After that, she applied to graduate school at USC and got her master's in social work with a pupil personnel service degree.

"The path to get to where I am was a bit uncertain at times, as I entertained coaching as a career for a while, and like many new graduates, wasn't 100% certain what I wanted to do. Taking some time to figure that out for a few years after school helped me reflect on things like work/life balance, family, etc. Once I started the graduate program at USC, I realized I'd be equipped to handle the field and it would provide me with the opportunity to live the type of life I wanted and also provide for my family in a broad field with tons of work options."

Ryan has also been working as part of an interdisciplinary team of health care providers for developmentally delayed clients which requires some travel and also works some per-diem shifts at UCI Medical Center which is fun, fast-paced type of work environment.

Outside of work, Ryan has a passion for fitness and has joined her husband, who swam at UCI, in playing master's water polo. She has also competed in several triathlons including the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, a half Ironman in Ireland and a full Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. Her and her husband also compete in US Master's Swimming National events and she stays active in US Master's Water Polo.

"Fitness has always been a part of my life and something I have never 'given up'. My husband is an amazingly talented athlete and I started tagging along with him and his athletic pursuits. We have done some crazy training and racing all over the world. It has helped us form a great bond. In 2019, my team finished 2^nd at Master's Water Polo Nationals.

"During this period of COVID, I continue to swim five days a week. Like a lot of other people, we made a home workout area with a heavyweight punching bag and a pull up bar. The 'home gym' doesn't get as much use as we'd like, but at least the intention is there!"

UCI has created a unique shared connection for her, her siblings and husband around school, athletics and life. And she is thankful to have been able to carry on the UCI legacy.

"UCI really is a fantastic place to broaden your perspectives, challenge and find yourself, and receive first-rate instruction in such a safe and beautiful community while also being close the mountains and the ocean…it's just the best!"

"I feel like I received the complete package at UCI. I had assistant AD's helping me navigate academics and athletics. I received free tutoring. I got to work with both the men's and women's water polo programs. I made my best friends and met my husband there. When I graduated, Dan (Klatt) let me be a volunteer coach the next season to support my goals of coaching collegiately. When it came time for me to apply to graduate school, I had a lot of support from my professors and coaches to help get me accepted to USC and launch my career in social work."