The Life Behind the Lifeguard
You go to the pool and you see the lifeguard dressed in red, watching over the pool to make sure nobody gets hurt. It's expected that he or she is there; they become part of the landscape. So many people everyday blend into the background as we go about our lives that we begin to lose touch with that fact that every single person also leads a life as complex and meaningful as our own.
Liam Cregan, a lifeguard at the Hampshire Athletic Club, dawns a glove in order to clean out the drains around the pool.
As an English major at UMass Amherst, Liam finds time to write when things are slow at the pool.
Liam is usually quiet, but his drums aren't. His band Shakusky has been steadily growing in fame since their start his freshman year.
"If you're going to do a story on me, you'll have to take a picture of me sitting on my bed smoking.. I do that a lot"
Liam and his girlfriend Kira share an apartment together. "We eat potatoes like everyday" They told me.
Piggybacking on the success of his band, Liam and his band mates founded a student organization called SALT, Students for Alternative Music, which organizes shows hosting small touring acts from around the country, right here at UMass.
Shakusky continues to practice every week, and are currently working on their first full length album.
Within everyone is a complexity that the casual passerby is completely unaware of. Next time your at the pool, take a second to see that person looking out for your life, and realize that they too have one.