Meet Lifeguard Dana Carbone

Lifeguarding seems to run in the Carbone family. Dana Carbone, a fourth-year lifeguard at the Summit Family Aquatic Center, is joined on most days by her older sister and sixth-year guard, Carlee, each summer at the outdoor community pool.

Dana graduated from Summit High School in 2009, where she played softball, field hockey, and ice hockey for the Hilltoppers. The 18-year-old is a rising sophomore and Spanish major at Loyola University in Maryland. Carbone plans to study abroad next fall in order to continue to develop her second language and perhaps pursue a future career in international studies.

"I wanted to go to Spain in high school on one of the school's trips, but I always had sports, so I couldn't go," Carbone said. "But I think next fall I'm going to study abroad in Alcalá, Spain."

But before she hops over to Europe for a few months, Carbone must fulfill her duties as a lifeguard at the SFAC. Although she's never had to make a save, Carbone has numerous responsibilities while on duty at the crowded community pool.

"We don't just lifeguard, we also have to do a lot of cleaning around the facility," Carbone said. "We have to walk around the pool to make sure everything is in check, and also keep the bathrooms spotless. We have to put the tables and chairs away at the end of the day and do first aid if someone gets hurt. We're basically there to just enforce the rules and make sure everyone is safe."

Four years ago, Carbone received her lifeguard certification in Berkeley Heights at Berkeley Aquatic Club. But since lifeguards must renew their certification every three years, Carbone completed her second certification course this year at the Summit YMCA.

"I became a lifeguard because I thought it would be really helpful to be certified in CPR," Carbone said. "I knew that some jobs would require it down the road. But I have really enjoyed working at the SFAC. It's fun; the people are great. The days can be long– eight hours–but we get a break every half hour."

When she's not guarding the pool, Carbone is admittedly hooked to the Twilight series, which currently includes four books by Stephenie Meyer and a trilogy on the big screen. The Twilight saga's third flick, Eclipse, hit theatres on June 30. Usually, "Twifans" pledge their allegiance to one of the two main male characters (the brooding vampire, Edward, or the hunky werewolf in disguise, Jacob), but when asked if she was a faithful member of "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob," Carbone just smiled.

"I can't choose, I like them both," she said.

When Carbone isn't catching a rerun of Friends or King of Queens after work, you might find her diving into a plate of lasagna at her favorite Summit restaurant, Marco Polo. This summer, she plans to enjoy the time off from school by doing her favorite things.

"I like to ride my bike a lot–I ride everywhere," Carbone said. "I also play and watch a lot of sports. I've really enjoyed watching the World Cup."

Over the long summer break, Carbone looks forward to spending her free time with family and friends.

"My family goes to North Carolina every year," Carbone said. "We're going at the end of July this year. Other than that trip, I just want to hang out with all of my friends before I go back to school at the beginning of September. I've been out of school since May 3, so it'll be a long summer break."

Stay tuned to Patch this summer for more profiles of SFAC senior lifeguards.