A water polo player, who faced racial discrimination and repeated sexual assault at a prestigious private school in Los Angeles, has graduated after relocating abroad. Aidan Roman shared a proud moment on Instagram, showing himself walking across the stage at the University of Barcelona to accept his degree, a move he made in 2024 to continue his water polo training.
He expressed gratitude for the educational opportunities provided by Dwight Global, which allowed him the flexibility to pursue his professional ambitions. Roman noted that one of the highlights of his experience was connecting with students from various backgrounds, appreciating the diverse and accomplished community.
His transition to Spain was prompted by troubling allegations against him from teammates at the Southern California school. Documents indicate he faced daily racial slurs and harassment on campus. The lawsuit claims that a fellow student, Lucca van der Woude, along with two others, reportedly subjected Roman—then a minor—to both racist and sexual abuse from August 2022 until February 2024.
Additionally, the suit alleges that Harvard-Westlake School, with an annual tuition fee of $52,500, did not take appropriate actions when alerted to the abuse. It is stated in the complaint that Van der Woude held and expressed racist, anti-Semitic, and white supremacist views, routinely using slurs and making derogatory comments pointing to systemic racism.
Witness accounts asserted that he made anti-Semitic remarks toward Jewish students, employing a particularly egregious slur when referring to a classmate. These allegations highlight troubling behavior that was reportedly well-known within the school’s community.
The suit also details that Van der Woude frequently glamorized sexual violence and made inappropriate comments, creating a hostile environment for Roman and others. The allegations suggest that this culture allowed the abuse to flourish unchecked. For instance, one incident described in the complaint involved another teammate verbally and physically assaulting Roman after a practice session.
A text from a former school official, Janine Jones, was included in the court documents following the assault. In it, she expressed a desire to support Roman but hesitated to check on him directly out of concern for his comfort. However, Harvard-Westlake’s legal team disputes receiving any reports of sexual assault from Roman’s parents, categorizing the mentioned text as contemporaneous evidence.
The school maintains that it treated the reports of misconduct seriously and initiated investigations promptly while adhering to legal obligations. However, Roman’s experience ultimately led him to relocate to Spain to continue training in a more secure environment. Meanwhile, Van der Woude, once seen as a promising Olympic hopeful, has since vanished from public view following the lawsuit’s revelations, with efforts to reach him at his family’s home proving unsuccessful.
