Sophomore Juliana French embodies what it means to be a Redhawk student-athlete. French, a member of the Roberts Wesleyan University Women's Swimming and Diving team, has found ways to contribute in and out of the pool.
A standout swimmer, French has contributed multiple top finishes in major meets for the Redhawks, but has also made plenty of time to give back to the local community.
The opportunity to serve the community arose from a suggestion made by Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Head Coach Sara Smith. French would utilize her skills as a talented swimmer to teach young kids how to swim and overcome their fears of the pool. She took the idea her coach gave her and ran with it, turning it into free swim lessons offered on campus. With the help of her teammates, French and the swim team taught over 50 lessons that included 400 local youth community members (ages 2-12). Spots filled up in just 12 hours, and 15 members of the swimming and diving program volunteered to teach, life guard, and supervise the lessons each day.
Over the first two days of lessons, there was so much excitement in the pool, watching these young swimmers overcome their fears about getting in the water, going under, and swimming in the deep end. With Summer quickly approaching, it seemed like a grand opportunity for the Redhawks to help inexperienced swimmers get the most out of their coming Summers.
French, an Adolescence in Education in Mathematics major, headlined the program, bringing her passion for swimming, love of teaching, and her keen ability to work with young children to help instruct these young swimmers on how to stay safe in the pool and become more comfortable in the water.
When asked about what she enjoyed most about the experience, French said, "Seeing how successful the event turned out to be was incredibly rewarding." Making a difference in these young lives brought lots of joy to French's face throughout the week. During the Summer, French teaches plenty of swimming lessons, but this program was special because it allowed her to reach even more young children and provided a fun and supportive environment to teach water safety.
French hopes the program can continue to support the local community and give back by making younger kids feel more confident and safer when swimming or enjoying the Summer months on the water. French believes swimming is a lifelong skill, seeing her grandfather and great-grandmother swim well into their 70s. She hopes these lessons will help these young kids unlock a new skill they did not know they had and reap the benefits for the rest of their lives.
