Becoming a diver for me was one of those distant dreams we have as kids. When I was about 8 years old I “decided” I was going to be a diver. As life happened, that distant dream started to become closer and closer. I moved from cities, states, and countries leaving family and friends behind to chase that dream. I found myself a few years later as an instructor where I could do one of my favorite things in the world: present the underwater world to people that thought they couldn’t scuba dive. Sharing those experiences made me fall in love with the different aspects of the industry. One day I was introduced to the aquarium diving world as a guest immersion guide/maintenance diver in a team that I will always respect and consider like a family. My mind was blown by the nearly infinite opportunities that scuba diving can provide.
I had never heard of ADPA until I became an ADSO and even then it was kind of a distant thing. Well, that changed! When I attended the symposium earlier this year I was fresh (6 months) on my role as Aquarium DSO and being able to participate in it, again, was a game changer for me. I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the knowledge and experience shared and also by the sense of unity of this group. For someone that is so fresh in this position and having so many questions, it was a relief to hear things like: “I had the exact same questions when I started” without judgement and that made me feel like I was in the right place.
Thanks to the Brett Dodson scholarship and the ADPA as a group, I feel like someone’s got my back and that when in doubt I know where/who I can reach out for help.
I learned a lot about compliance, training, human-centered leadership, volunteer management and so much more. There are too many takes to be written in this short text, but for everyone that presented during the symposium or shared experiences in conversations, please know that I was inspired by you.
