I am a born and raised Florida girl. This state is near and dear to my heart but has the highest prevalence of drowning, with drowning being the number one cause of death for children under four. I was a victim of a near-drowning incident at the age of seven, at a pool with adult supervision, an experience I remember clearly. Still, I didn't learn how to swim until age ten.
In later years I started working as a lifeguard, where I learned about survival swimming and quickly became passionate about it. I became a certified survival swim instructor and found great joy through teaching for four years until I took a break while pursuing my midwifery degree and starting my own family.
I am now a midwife and the mother of two wonderful little girls. Both of my daughters were in lessons before they were walking. So, I understand the emotional challenges parents face and the commitment to making it to scheduled classes, but the need for survival swimming lessons in the community haven’t changed, so I am excited to open the doors to teach again.