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“I am always imagining scenarios,” said Rothstein, who has been lifeguarding for six years. “What if that boogie boarder gets blown out to sea? What if that sandbar collapses and five people are left struggling? What kind of rescue will I do? Will I need a paddleboard or a buoy? Or maybe two buoys? On the stand, you are constantly thinking.”
There are other parallels, too — whether you’re dealing in paddleboards or protractors, you cannot be afraid to ask questions.
“When it comes to taking an exam or doing a save, you need to be
prepared,” Rothstein said. “In the moment, you don’t want to be wishing
you’d asked a professor — or a more senior guard — how to approach a
given situation or solve a problem. The biggest thing I’ve learned from
both school and the beach is the importance of open communication.”
When Rothstein isn’t working or studying, she can be found gliding along the Christina River in Wilmington. Her first year on campus, she walked onto the women’s crew team having no prior history with the sport (this was before she started rowing the lifeguard boats), and she quickly became a force.