Stepping out of the pool and into a new career
Aquatics supervisor Paige Dowdy ‘24 looks to leverage experience for a career in student affairs
With over 1,000 student employees busying the spaces of Rec Sports, students of all career interests find a home at the Rec. For some, employment within our department is a helpful stepstone to uplift students towards their desired future, providing financial assistance and technical skills for budding professionals to use in their strides for success. For others, Rec Sports offers something new — a career path in student affairs not before considered but now in reach thanks to service to the Texas A&M community.
Paige Dowdy ‘24’s story is not an uncommon one; as a regular attendee of Rec Sports facilities and an active participant in intramural sports, she was already well acquainted with the culture of Rec Sports when she applied to work as an aquatics worker in September 2021.
“I had always wanted to work on campus, but I especially wanted to work at the rec center,” Dowdy said. “I loved coming to the rec center, and I thought, ‘this would be so awesome if I just worked here.’”
After becoming an aquatics worker, Dowdy earned her lifeguard certification and moved into a lifeguard role; in time, she would become a head lifeguard before taking the opportunity to become an aquatics supervisor.
“Being an aquatics supervisor means reiterating all the safety aspects that go into aquatics – being that extra wall of protection, making sure that staff are happy, patrons are happy, and filling all these little gaps that need to be filled in between different staff roles,” Dowdy said.
She continued, “I also oversee swim meets, so I make sure that everything is safe, everything is good to go. If staff need assistance, that’s where I jump in.”
In short, Dowdy’s role as an aquatics supervisor operates as an intermediary of sorts between student and professional staff. Wherever Dowdy is needed, she’s there.
“It is super rewarding being able to work for the university that you attend,” Dowdy said. “That makes me super proud, being able to say that not only I attended Texas A&M University but I work for Texas A&M University.”
Through Rec Sports Aquatics, Dowdy has taken the opportunity to expand her scope of college recreation, even traveling with Texas A&M to a recent NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation conference this past fall. From opportunities such as this, Dowdy now looks to make student support integral to her life after graduation.
“I definitely see myself continuing in student affairs,” Dowdy said. “I would love to work in rec sports as a career long-term, but student affairs is such a broad scope that there’s so many different aspects of that that I’m interested in stepping into and learning about.”
She continued, “I feel like I’ve found what I want to do, and I wouldn’t be able to feel as prepared or as excited about that if I wasn’t given those opportunities from my professional staff, Carlos [Garcia] and CJ [Stancheski].”
Now equipped with a career in mind and a passion for supporting other students, Dowdy is amidst applications for student affairs roles at various universities. By her side are her supervisors who work hand-in-hand with her to ensure she has a competitive advantage in her career.
Paige Dowdy ‘24 graduates from Texas A&M in May with a degree in University Studies.
