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Name: Nelson Rivera
Job Title: Off-site supervisor/swimming instructor
Asphalt Green Department: Aquatics
Asphalt Green Campus: Upper East Side
Q: How long have you been working at Asphalt Green?
A: I’ve been at Asphalt Green for nine years.
Q: What do you do at Asphalt Green?
A: I’m a swimming instructor.
Q: What are some of your responsibilities?
A: I ensure swimmers’ safety, teach different swimming strokes, and maintain progress reports for each swimmer, to name a few.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of working at Asphalt Green?
A: I love being able to be a part of the swimmers’ experience and overall improvement.
Q: What is one of your fondest memories of working at Asphalt Green so far?
A: My fondest memories are hearing the students say they miss me when I’m away and seeing the positive impact I have made on them.
Q: When did you learn to swim?
A: I learned to swim at the age of 10.
Q: How did you get into the aquatics industry?
A: I was a swimmer as a child and became a lifeguard as a teenager. I became a lifeguard when I was 16 and continued to lifeguard for eight years until I became the lieutenant lifeguard for the Parks and Recreation Department. I’ve held that role for 15 years now. I have also worked at Asphalt Green as a lifeguard, then became a swimming instructor and off-site supervisor.
Q: Your favorite or best swim tip for others?
A: Work on having a strong kick in each stroke because it will take you a long way in swimming.
Q: Please provide a fun fact about yourself?
A: I love playing sports!