One of the things that has impacted me the most throughout my time at Ocaquatics has been the relationships we build with our families. While we teach swimming, the connections we make go far beyond the pool.
One family that will always stand out to me is the Salas family. Over the course of about a year, we developed a strong bond with them as we watched their two children grow and progress in their swim journey. When they shared that they would be moving to Costa Rica, we were all genuinely sad to see them go.
What touched me the most was that during their final week in the United States, they were living out of a hotel while preparing for their move, yet they still made it a priority to bring their children to swim lessons. They wanted to make sure they had the chance to say goodbye to every team member who had made an impact on their family. They even brought us sweets as a thank-you, showing how much they appreciated everything we had done.
On their very last day, their nanny was running late with the children’s swimsuits, so we were all scrambling to find something the kids could wear for class. Despite the chaos, everyone came together to make it work. Before they left, their mom gave me a big hug and told me that we meant so much to her because we had always cared for their family as if they were our own.
Moments like these remind me that Ocaquatics is about so much more than teaching children how to swim. It’s about creating a welcoming environment where families feel supported, valued, and cared for. Knowing that we were able to make such a lasting impact on the Salas family is something I’ll always carry with me.