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[nbsp]where he[nbsp]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.