Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.
For my STEP Signature Project, I completed three courses through Columbus Scuba; a PADI learning partner. I took the basic open water certification, which allows you to dive up to depths of 60 feet and consists of 4 weeks of pool lessons, e-learning, and a weekend of quarry diving at Gilboa Quarry in Findlay, Ohio. I also took the advanced scuba diving course which furthers your depth to 130 feet, which consisted of e-learning and yet another weekend at Gilboa Quarry. Finally, I completed the rescue dive certification, which allows me to save responsive and unresponsive divers at the surface, or underwater. The rescue course consisted of e-learning and dive scenarios at the quarry for a weekend.
What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?
By the time I finished my STEP Signature Project, I realized that I had a passion for diving. In the beginning of the project, I was incredibly excited to finally have the opportunity to do something I have been dreaming of for years. But, it ended up being so much more than just something that gave me a new hobby. It was something that opened up new doors in my future career as a lot of jobs in my field may ask for some sort of scuba certification. I also gained more respect for our oceans and was able to reflect on how as someone who is certified to scuba dive on a higher level, can help the ocean. As time went on with my project, I realized that on top of all of these doors that opened in my career, the additional hobby I gained, and respect for our world’s oceans, I gained a community of other divers who are as passionate about our water ecosystems as I am. I realized that I went through a transformation not only on a personal level, but also on a scale that can affect the world around me.
What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?
To learn something completely new is a very stressful thing to do. I was brand new to diving and showing up on the first day was incredibly difficult as I did not know anyone. But as time went on, I felt completely at home. With this experience, I was able to change my learning mindset to a very fixed, repressive one, to a stronger growth mindset. Instead of this potentially feeling like an obligation that I had to do, I ended up having a lot of fun and I learned a great deal. This has translated to everything in my life, not just diving.
A lot of relationships with fellow divers were formed during the duration of my project. Whether it was students who were learning to dive at the level I was also learning or the instructors who have been diving for longer than I. have been in this Earth, it was definitely a community I have never experienced before. The instructors really assisted with building my confidence as a diver and would even go on extra dives with me for fun during the process. Meeting people who are so passionate for something is an unmatched experience, one that I will never forget. In the future, I will see these same people again on various dive trips and we will certainly pick up where we left off.
Having the ability to do something you have never done before and have also dreamed about doing is an amazing feeling. It will always have the ability to change you as a person and allow for personal growth. This experience had so many different life changing aspects, whether it was for my career, or for my personal gain. Being able to be outside and actually complete different dive scenarios instead of just watching the videos on the e-learning was an experience I will never forget and it is something that will stay with me forever.
Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?
The change I underwent during the duration of this project will make me a more qualified candidate after I graduate for higher level jobs. Not only that, but it opens a door to continue on with my passion as a scuba diver. The transformation I underwent made me fall in love with the sport and eventually, I can become a well- traveled individual who goes on dive trips with the community that is formed within. I have discovered that I want to continue my education as a diver and eventually work my way up to becoming a dive master, which is essentially an assistant instructor. The change I experienced made me a more well-rounded individual with more passion for something than I have ever felt before.
