Matt Lorkiewicz is a quiet young man.  Aside from his height, he doesn’t stand out in a crowd.  You wouldn’t guess by looking at him that he was recently honored for “heroic actions” by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.  In the summer, Matt is a lifeguard at Squantz Pond in New Fairfield, CT.

Squantz Pond is an extremely busy State park.  It is a challenge for five lifeguards to monitor swimmers, especially when visitors choose to swim outside the designated swimming area.  People get defiant when lifeguards ask them to follow the rules.  This summer, three men drowned at the park;  all were swimming in unmonitored areas.

On September 3, Matt and a fellow lifeguard were on the main beach when a woman notified them that someone in an unguarded area had gone under.  After a search, Matt dove in and pulled a man up from the water.  He and another lifeguard performed CPR until EMS arrived.

Matt finds aspects of his job stressful, especially the sun and the crowds.  He also enjoys spending time on the hiking trails that wind through the park.  His first year was an eventful year.  He plans to return to Squantz Pond again next year. Matt Lorkiewicz is a Computer Aided Drafting senior here at Henry Abbott Tech.