Aug 29, 2018
By Lisa Coleman, Recreation Leadership Diploma Program Alumnus (2009)
I have worked in community recreation for over 14 years and I am very passionate about what I do. I love the people, making connections, building relationships, working with communities, and helping people find ways to live happier and healthier lifestyles. My first job was working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the City of New Westminster in 2004 where I learned very quickly that I loved working in recreation. I started teaching Aquafit, aquatic leadership courses and spent a summer working as an Aquatic Supervisor. I knew at that point that I wanted to make a career in recreation so I decided to enroll in the Langara Recreation Leadership Diploma Program in 2007. I graduated in 2009 and since that time I have held several positions within the City of New Westminster as an Aquatic Programmer and more recently, Aquatic Program Coordinator.
In my current role, I oversee the swim lesson program, facility operations, recruitment and training of new aquatic staff, marketing, and budget development. My day to day is never the same as I am always taking on new tasks and challenges which is one of the things I love most about my job. We are currently in the process of planning for a new community and aquatics centre which will replace the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre which is scheduled to start construction in 2020. This is just one of many exciting projects on the horizon and keeps my job fun and interesting. In 2017 I decided to continue my educational pursuits with Langara and enrolled in the Recreation Management Degree program. I can definitely say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the education I received from Langara which has helped me to advance within the field of recreation.