Ra'Nell English was born in Harlem and lived there until he moved to New Jersey at the age of 6. A natural athlete, Ra'Nell attended the Alvin Ailey School and learned to swim at the Hoboken YMCA. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he accompanied his father to many exotic islands where he took open water dives for their SCUBA certification. He received a swim scholarship from St. Peter's College, a Division I school where he competed in the 50yd and 100yd freestyle while completing his BS degree in Child Psychology. Ra'Nell has been a core member of the Imagine teachers crew since 2007.