Mariya Dlugokanska, a Westview High School sophomore, pulled a young girl from the deep end of a pool after spotting her struggling to stay above water.
Dlugokanska has worked as a lifeguard at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC) Pool in Southwest Portland since late May. In an interview published Monday, Oct. 12 by The Nexus, Westview's student newspaper, she described the moment she saw the girl drift into deeper water and begin to panic.
"She was bubbling back up and down, and looked extremely panicked," Dlugokanska told The Nexus. She said she knew she had to reach the girl before she started actively drowning.
Dlugokanska grabbed a rescue buoy and dove in. She reached the girl in seconds.
The rescue carried its own dangers. A panicking swimmer can kick or climb on top of a rescuer, Dlugokanska said, pushing the lifeguard underwater. She described every water rescue as entering a dangerous environment where the lifeguard's own life is at risk.
Beyond the physical threat, Dlugokanska said the mental side of the job drains her most. A drowning person often cannot call for help, she said, so a lifeguard has to read body language across the entire pool without losing focus.
She described developing a personal reset technique: when she catches herself watching for only one type of hazard, she deliberately widens her attention back to everything happening around her.
The speed of the emergency stuck with her. The girl appeared fine one moment, Dlugokanska said, and was visibly struggling the next. She told The Nexus the incident "could have changed her life."
