“Somebody help me. SOMEBODY HELP ME!” My head instinctively whipped around. My eyes darted to the boy crumpled on the ground behind my stand. I blew my whistle as I was trained to do and sprung into action, more than ready to save a life. I had been waiting for this day all summer long. I soaked in countless hours of training but it all meant nothing if I could not perform right here, right now. “I have a passive guest on the pool deck, call 911 and get back to me!” I yelled to a guard as I jumped off stand. The young boy was unconscious and I, as practiced, checked his pulse and breathing. The other lifeguards on duty hurried to assist me. We discovered he had hit his head and had a possible concussion, but he was still breathing. We took him inside in case of heat exhaustion and he vomited. I did not notice the wretched smell biting my nostrils until the paramedics had gone, and the boy was on his way to the emergency room. My surroundings had blurred into meaningless distractions as all of my focus and attention was on helping this boy.
A week later, the boy’s mother brought the pool staff cookies and a thank you card mentioning my quick reaction to her son’s injury. It did not matter to me if she brought cookies or broccoli. My biggest reward was realizing that I helped a child in such an impactful way. Sure, if I had not been there another guard would have seen him and he would have recovered just the same. And okay, it wasn’t a life and death situation, only a concussion. Yet nothing can describe the adrenaline that coursed through my veins at top speed when I heard a cry for help.
As I lay in bed that night, I replayed those few minutes in my head. I wanted to relive that feeling of satisfaction from aiding another person. This only confirmed what I wanted to do with my life. I had always been somewhat selfish, like most typical teenagers, but this changed my mind on what is really important. I want to study biochemistry so I can formulate and test drugs that help the human race against illness and disease. I want peoples’ lives to improve from my studies and work. What started out as just a summer job turned into an eye opener. It sparked my awareness of the endless possibilities and the ever-present opportunities waiting for me to make my first move.