Background

My family and I visited Hawaii after I graduated high school in 2014. My dad signed us up for an ocean activity called snuba diving. Snuba diving is a hybrid between snorkeling and scuba diving. It is the perfect introduction into the underwater life if you are looking to go to the next level after snorkeling. The tank is left on the surface in a float, while a long regulator sinks below the surface and allows you to swim along in the water, breathing effortlessly as you view the sea life below the surface at 15 feet deep. I fell in love with the ocean after this and my family and I all became scuba certified.

Each year, I would sign up for a new scuba course- nitrox, advanced, rescue diver, divemaster, and eventually, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. I also took my Level 1 Freediver course with Florida Freedivers under F.I.I. organization. This completely opened up my mind towards how much our bodies are capable of pushing ourselves. The freediving course taught me diving and breath skills, safety precautions, and an understanding of how much freediving is a mind game. Our bodies are capable of pushing us past our comfort limits and achieving so much. So many people ask me all the time about how I can hold my breath for 3 minutes or dive to 80 feet deep. They say “There’s no way I could do that". But there is… Open yourself up to new challenges, try new things, and you will learn so much about your abilities and achieve so much more.

My passion for the ocean led me to establish a dive club at the University of North Florida (UNF) in 2015. As President and Founder of the UNF Dive Club, I developed a leadership structure, marketing campaign, and negotiated with local dive shops that enabled the club to organize many dive events throughout Florida. The club was very successful with over 100 members within the first year. The UNF Dive Club won 2016 Club of the Year and I was nominated for leader of the year.

I graduated at UNF in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Marketing. Before graduating, I participated in multiple logistics internships to step myself into the corporate world and set myself up for a career in the future. After graduating, I moved to Puerto Rico and did sales and marketing for several small businesses. I also worked as a divemaster and instructor at a local dive shop and guiding divers under the surface.

Covid hit during spring of 2020 and the island shut down. Businesses shut down and many locals were out of work. I made the decision to move back to my hometown, Atlantic Beach, FL and try something new.