Featured Volunteer: Ariel Crocker
Get to know our volunteer lifeguard, Ariel Crocker! She just went on her first ISLA trip to the Dominician to lifeguard during the wild holiday weekend for Semana Santa (Easter).
Lifeguarding:
8 summers in the city of Del Mar.
Interests:
Swimming – pool and ocean, yoga, baking, reading the New Yorker magazine.
Education:
BS from UCSC in Molecular Biology, EMT and I am applying to Med school.
Goals in life:
To be an ER doctor, and to continue to work towards living in the NOW as well as making smart plans for my future.
Favorite Books:
Harry Potter series!
Favorite Beach:
Playa Bonita in the Dominican Republic!!!
How did you get involved in ISLA?
I was introduced to ISLA via Justin Semsprott of Lifeguards without Borders, and loved the idea of traveling while being apart of something bigger than myself. What a way to get to know a country by volunteering along with Dominicans to promote safe ocean environments.
What was it like lifeguarding for Semana Santa (Easter) in the Dominican Republic?
This picture depicts the moment of the trip when I realized it was all worth it. The cost of my flight, leaving the familiar, sleeping in a small apartment with ten strangers, navigating a foreign country and many more reasons that could have deterred me.
Seeing the shock on the faces of the bystanders in the water because the Domincan people are not used to seeing lifeguards in their country. In the photo is my new lifelong friend and lifeguard from Dominican Republic, Joe, who was first out to the victim and I followed him with the paddle board. Joe is Dominican, and talking to him I learned so much about the culture of the Domincian Republic and had an insight to the country that I would have never learned if I was just traveling for pleasure.
The splash of water is another new friend Richard, from Flordia, coming out to back us up. I came to the Domincian Republic having a strong lifeguarding background, never did I expect to learn so much from lifeguards all around the world. Bringing this man in with the help of my new teammates and friends gave me such a sense of purpose that I haven’t felt in such a long time.
I wouldn’t trade that experience for a less crowded or chaotic apartment ever.
Favorite thing about lifeguarding:
That it is such an active job! I can’t sit still!
My favorite piece of rescue equipment is…
My fins…i love swimming and going fast!
I will continue to prevent drowning by…
Continuing to lifeguard and speak with as many patrons as possible, go on more ISLA trips!
My hope is that more countries realize the potential in education of drowning prevention and start to help themselves as well as asking ISLA.
3 words to describe yourself:
Empathetic, loud, and energetic.
