About Us
Alex Lewis is a senior at Trinity College majoring in Public Policy and Law with a minor in Religious Studies. Alex is passionate about interacting with and bringing siloed organizations, and communities together. He is excited about working with the community to really address this issue.
Georgia Fales is a sophomore at Trinity College studying Public Policy and Law. She is driven by creating change in the Hartford community and is excited to work with her team and community partners in hopes of making a lasting impression on Hartford’s public pools and recreation department.
Alex Bleakley is a senior at Trinity College majoring in Public Policy and Law with an environmental concentration and a minor in philosophy. Alex wants to make the world a better place and looks forward to seeing the public response to the findings of our project. As Alex puts it “The lifeguard shortage is temporary, but memories are forever.”
Jasmine Lall is a sophomore at Capital Community College majoring in General Studies. Jasmine is from Guyana, South America but has lived in Hartford for over six years now. She aims to give back to her community and leave a positive impact. Jasmine looks forward to seeing how our project impacts the lifeguard shortage and the city of Hartford.
Yulia Pukhareva is a sophomore at Trinity College. She is currently double majoring in Mechanical engineering and Urban Studies. Yulia is from Tyumen, Russia, but is driven by Hartford and making it a better place to live. She is excited to see more functioning pools in the upcoming summer seasons in Hartford.
Spencer Baxter also known as “Pen” is a sophomore at Capital Community College majoring in Art and General Studies. Pen has been living in Hartford for about a year now and wants to give back to the community. He is looking forward to the results of our research and hopes it will benefit the people of Hartford.
Professor Laura Minor is the Director of the Liberal Arts Action Lab, Laura’s passion is to see young people experience learning in high-impact contexts, both in the U.S. and abroad, and have reciprocal learning partnerships with community organizations that change and benefit where we live. Trips to Bloom’s Bake Shop with Action Lab students is an added bonus!
Meet our faculty fellows!
Professor Carmen has a Ph, D. in Physiology from Indiana University and teaches Biology at Capital. She was an athlete, swimmer, runner, and triathlete and used to be a lifeguard while going to Ohio State and during high school. When asked why she wanted to be a part of this project she responded “I was the oldest of 6 kids and we were all lifeguards. I met my husband at a pool who was also a lifeguard and a swimmer. We had 5 kids who were also all lifeguards. The photo I sent is of my youngest two boys, one of whom was interviewed. So when I saw the lifeguard project, I thought I could add some insight and learn what the issues are in Hartford as to why there is a lifeguard shortage.” Professor Carmen is looking forward to seeing the final project and the suggestions that our group has.
Coach Hannah Hagey is the head swimming and diving coach at Trinity College entering her second season. Hannah was also an assistant for the Bantams from 2018 to 2021 and returned to Hartford after spending 11 months as an assistant swimming and diving coach at Case Western Reserve University. In addition to coach, Hannah also teaches beginning and intermediate swimming courses and manages the lifeguarding staff at Trinity College. When asked why she wanted to help with this project she responded, “I wanted to help with this project because accessibility to pools and learn-to-swim programs has always been a passion of mine. The lack of lifeguards in Hartford is a problem that needs to be addressed and I hope to be a resource in providing background on the lifeguarding certification requirements.”
To learn more about our community partners click here.
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