When Hannah Martz first toured The University of Alabama, she saw a different side of the campus she had grown up so close to. As a Northport native, most of her perspective of UA was limited to sports and entertainment. When she toured campus and discovered her major musical audio technologies and creative media and the Blount Scholars Program, suddenly the local college had a new feel for her – it felt like home.
“It just seemed like the perfect fit…even though I am so close to home, it being its own entity made it something I was able to embrace, and it embraced me in a way,” she said.
That sense of belonging would eventually begin to have more meaning once Hannah found an opportunity through University Recreation (UREC).
Her journey with UREC began when her mother, who worked at her old high school, learned that the department was searching for summer employees. She encouraged Hannah to apply. Hannah grew up going to the community pool and thought this would be a job she would enjoy. She decided to enroll in the required lifeguard course and see where this would take her.
“Getting to come in and experience the whole atmosphere from the get-go was really fun,” she said.
What she expected to be a short summer job quickly evolved into something more meaningful. About a year after joining the staff, she took a leap of faith and applied to become a lifeguard supervisor. She got the position, and two and half years later, she is still with UREC and finds herself gaining new skills each day.
“It is one of those jobs where you are always learning new things. It is not stagnant. It is very much an always growing and always adapting type of job,” she said.
What Hannah values most about her time at UREC is the sense of community that has developed among the aquatics staff.
“We are just one big family at aquatics,” she said. “Our staff is so close knit.”
Working early morning shifts have allowed her to form strong relationships with coworkers and campus partners. Monthly trainings often feel like a reunion, where staff members can connect and catch up with their friends from different shifts. These relationships extend far beyond the walls of the Aquatic Center though.
“If we see each other around campus, it is not just a work friend. We run and say, ‘how are you and what are you doing?’” she said. “It is such a loving place to be at UREC in general, not just aquatics. There is a lot of fun that happens alongside the work that makes it such an enjoyable place.”
Hannah’s role has not only helped her find community at UA, it has also helped her develop important skills to take with her for a lifetime such as learning how to be an effective leader.
“When I first started, I was very hesitant,” she said. “As I have grown and gotten to know everyone, I’ve realized being a leader is taking those steps of faith.”
Communication is equally as important to Hannah and her team.
“It is important in our job as lifeguards, but also that comfort level of being able to trust each other,” she said.
She credits her supervisors with creating an environment for the team to grow and learn these skills together. Their message is consistent. The entire team must support one another, which Hannah describes through the analogy they often use – hold the rope. It means they can do anything if they work as a team, just like you would in tug-of-war.
From a job that she thought would last only one summer Hannah found a community, valuable leadership skills, and a sense of belonging. Her time at UREC shows that the right environment can turn any job into an experience that shapes your skills and future, even if you don’t realize it at the time.