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What is your name? 
Alyssa Cavill

What is your position with the Y? 
I am a swim instructor and head lifeguard. I have been working at H20 for just over two years now. I also took swimming lessons at both the Rutland YMCA and H20 since I was a baby, up until I got my lifeguarding certifications. 

What Y Centre/program do you work with? 
H20 Aquatics.

What do you always find yourself saying?
Live your best life and do whatever makes you happiest, and try to play a part in helping others do the same. There’s also a quote from a movie that was sampled in one of my favourite songs, “The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” It’s one of my favourite quotes, I ended up getting it tattooed on my ribs.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world (currently alive) who would you select? 
If I could spend a whole day with anyone in the world, I would probably choose to spend it with my grandma. Because of COVID, full-time college classes, and part-time work, I have not been able spend much time with her, but she is such an amazing woman and I miss the times we would go out for brunch together. If it had to be a celebrity, I think I would choose Jonathon Ng, who goes by his stage name EDEN. He is very poetic in his lyric writing and always creates these beautiful visuals along with his music. I think I could learn a lot from him about cinematography and how to convey such depth and emotion through writing. 

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win? 
I think it would be really cool to win the Medal of Good Citizenship.

Please explain one fond memory you have of the Y. 
We had a youth group book after hours, so we had a team of people working from around 9:30pm-12am. They didn’t show up for about 45 minutes after when they originally said, so everyone who was working ended up having a little pool party of our own while we waited.

Where is your favourite place to “dine”/order takeout in the Okanagan? 
I love eating at Pane Vino in Oyama. Pane Vino is a local business that serves very tasty, authentic Italian food. It’s one of my favourite summer spots. 

What is your favourite activity while social distancing in the Okanagan? 
My favourite social distancing activities to do in the Okanagan are longboarding, having campfires, creating art, and urban exploring. Urban exploring is a mix of hiking, exploring abandoned places (such as Bluehawk Mine in West Kelowna), and photography! 

Who inspires you (within your Y family or elsewhere)? 
Someone who inspires me is Dr. Gabor Mate, who works a lot with the homeless populations in downtown Vancouver. I would highly suggest taking a look at some of his podcasts and books! 

What are 3 things on your bucket list? 
1. Learn how to snowboard and master it 
2. Travel the world 
3. See some of my favourite music artists in concert (Darn COVID, I miss concerts so much!)

Tell us about a defining moment in your life. 
I have been lucky enough to have the privilege of attending post-secondary, with the great help of earning a few bursaries and the Ted Rogers Scholarship. That was a big deal to me and I am thankful every day for having that opportunity. I am attending OC for a two-year Human Service Work program, with hopes to go into the field working with individuals to support them with mental health and substance abuse disorders. We are currently facing a very heartbreaking opioid epidemic in BC, so I hope to do my part in helping to advocate for positive change and fight this crisis on the front lines. 

What are you passionate about? 
I am really passionate about social justice and making a positive difference in people’s lives. I strive to make positive changes in our community every day, I truly feel as though that is one of my biggest purposes in life. 

What do you miss the most about your Y before the pandemic? 
I miss the hot tubs and being able to use kickboards while teaching lessons! 

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be? 
Honestly, I would just really love to be able to actively make a difference in people’s lives! If I can put a smile on someone’s face, that is what matters most! 

What words of encouragement would you say to our Y member/participants/families right now? 
Keep your chin up! I know times have been tough lately, so it’s extra important that you make room for some self-care everyday, whatever that may look like for you! Know that we are all in this together and never be afraid to reach out for support if you need it. 

How has your role changed during COVID? 
There are many new rules and regulations put into place at our facility due to COVID, so we have to make sure we enforce a lot of new rules throughout the work day! There is a list of cleaning we have to do every 20 minutes, which is new since COVID as well. We also have some new barriers when it comes to teaching swim lessons, such as not having physical contact with the kids and not having as many choices of equipment to use. My fellow colleagues and our members here at H2O have been so amazing with adjusting and helping out with these new changes though, so I have been super thankful!

What does community mean to you? 
Community, to me, is a group of people who all either live in the same area or share the same values and characteristics, who can rely on each other, learn from one another, and help each other out when needed.

What is your favorite part of your job? 
I really love when people strike up conversations with me at the pool. I always love meeting and talking to new people, everyone in our community has their own unique stories to tell and ideas to share. It definitely makes my day when people even just come to smile and say hello!  

What Y team member would you like to give a shout-out to and why? 
I would like to give a shoutout to my big brother, Logan Miron, who has been working at H2O as a lifeguard for even longer than I have and has been a huge role model to me both in and outside of the workplace. I always know it will be a great day when I work a shift alongside him, and I very much look up to his skills and bubbly personality.