As he sat in a freshly-painted white chair at Devon Pool right outside of Jones Middle School, Alec Hjelle’s eyes drifted from person to person. This was his third summer at the pool, and each one deepened his appreciation of the job. Nowhere else could he have found so many friends, as well as fulfill one of his life’s main motivations: striving to help others.
“I already knew how to swim, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to make money,” Hjelle said. “That summer, though, I found out that it was about way more than that. The job really gave me an opportunity to help people, in a way that I hadn’t been able to do before.”
Hjelle’s love for both swimming and aiding those around him didn’t begin three summers ago in a lifeguard’s chair. In fact, he has been swimming for a majority of his life, mainly for two different organizations.
“I swam until I was twelve years old,” Hjelle said, “I swam with both Swim and Racquet and the UA Swim Club. I didn’t have time to keep doing it in high school, so I’m glad I could lifeguard over the summer.”
Along with swimming, Hjelle has been developing his love for helping people throughout his life. One of his greatest inspirations was his work during the annual HOP day, or the Hastings outreach program. On this day, middle schoolers go out into the community and participate in service learning projects.
“We went out to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank when I was in middle school. I really enjoyed it, because I got to work in the soup kitchens and help people,” Hjelle said.