Meet Jade Thompson | Swim Instructor/Swim Instructor Manager & Lifeguard

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jade Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jade, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In July of 2020, I turned 18 which was super exciting! It meant I was an adult now, but with that came the responsibilities of course! I began paying my rent and other important bills and decided it was time to start applying my skills outside of the work place. I was and currently am a lifeguard and swim instructor at a Boys and Girls Club branch and love my job at this facility. The skills I learned as a lifeguard and swim instructor were skills I could take to other pools and locations to spread the importance of water safety. I believe being water safe is one of the most important skills any person could ever have. I wanted to teach more people outside of my work about water safety! In summer of 2021, my business wasn’t quite official, I had a couple of clients who I’d teach swimming lessons to and lifeguard at private events such as birthday parties. In the Winter of 2022, I began brainstorming ways to make my business more official. I started with a website to organize all my information and make it easily accessible to clients and from there everything else just came naturally to me! My thought process behind starting was a mixture of anxiety and excitement, I’m really happy with how everything has turned out so far.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Currently, I am 19 and in college so I have not yet decided what my life career will be, however, I have a lot of experiences in my years as a young adult that are professional and set me apart from others. My first job was working one of the only work positions open to students at my high school as a food stocker and cashier in my high school’s Nutrition Services. This first job taught me how to be punctual, customer service, manage my time, handle money, keep track of food stock, communicate with others and train other employees. The skills I learned from this job were applicable in almost every job imaginable. I started working as a swim instructor and lifeguard when I was just 15 years old, I was in a college preparation program in high school that helped me with interviews and being professional which helped me land my job. Getting to wear I am today required lots of hard work, I started as an entry level new hire and worked my way up to management to now being employed & self employed. Some lessons I’ve learned along the way is to establish healthy relationships with your coworkers, establish a healthy connection with your boss and getting your work done are the keys for succeeding at any workplace. I want the world to know that with the right amount of self-discipline, goal-setting and patience, everyone can achieve what they want in their life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great Spots in San Diego that I like to hang out with friends at is the Torrey Pines Gliderport, Torrey Pines Mountain, Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, Seaport Village, Belmont Park, Fashion Valley Mall, Shelter Island Marina & any Cinepolis Movie Theater.

My favorite places to eat in San Diego are Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar, Joe’s Crab Shack, Harumama Noodles and Buns, Tea Station, Dumpling Inn & Shanghai Saloon, Duke’s La Jolla, Tamarindo Del Mar, Din Tai Fung & Benihana.

Other Amazing places to visit for fun: Balboa Park, Carlsbad Strawberry Fields (Pumpkin Patch in the fall!), Mission Beach Boardwalk, Cardiff by-the-Sea, Solana Beach & Powerhouse Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shout out to two of my favorite organizations, Best Buddies International & A Walk on Water. Both of these programs work with children with varying disabilities and work to include them into our changing society and being safe. These programs are important to me because I have a younger brother with Autism who didn’t fit in with typical children in the 2000’s. Best Buddies International is a friendship program that connects elementary, middle and high school students with students in the special education programs with the main goal of inclusion. I myself was part of this program at my high school and inspired me to want to help children with disabilities be water safe as well. Drowning is the number one leading cause of death for people with Autism so it’s important to me to teach them how to be water safe. My brother is only water safe because he was taught how to swim and be water safe! A Walk on Water is a surfing program that helps people with varying disabilities learn how to surf and be safe in the ocean! A Walk on Water also inspires me to start teaching kids with disabilities how to be safe in the water.

Website: https://jathompson024.wixsite.com/website-1/lessons-offered

Instagram: watersafetywithjade