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Grant Hauskins

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WorkOct 2023 — Present· Chicago, IL

Water Works at the YMCA

Program Instructor & Mentor · YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago

I lead and mentor young adults in Water Works, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago's aquatics-focused workforce-development program.

LeadershipMentorshipProgram managementKPI tracking
Water Works cohort at their end-of-program celebration at the Obama Presidential Center

Overview

Since October 2023, I’ve been a Program Instructor & Mentor for Water Works at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. Water Works is an aquatics-focused workforce-development program for young adults. It starts with swim instruction and moves on to lifeguard and swim instructor certification, alongside American Red Cross CPR/AED training, financial literacy, professional development, and career exploration. Participants are paid while they train, and the program provides support so young adults can take part regardless of background. I’ve led 100+ young adults across four cohorts.

I also keep the program’s numbers. I built an Excel analytics solution and the workflows behind the program’s grant writing and data collection. I track attendance, on-time rates, and participant success by instructor and cohort in Excel and Google Sheets, and I update participant records in SQL so the data stays accurate.

When the program launched operations in a lower-demand market, I designed and ran a data-driven marketing campaign to support the launch. It exceeded registration goals by 25% and brought in new community partners.

What I did

  • Lead and mentor Water Works cohorts, coaching young adults through certification training and building their professional and leadership skills.
  • Built an Excel analytics solution and workflows for grant writing and data collection.
  • Designed and taught AI Decoded, a two-session AI literacy program for community members, sponsored by AT&T (July 2026). Full story.
  • Track attendance, on-time rates, and participant success KPIs by instructor and cohort in Excel and Google Sheets.
  • Maintain participant records with SQL updates to keep attendance and KPI data accurate.
  • Built a mood-meter analytics workflow in Power Automate to track program effects on participant feelings across three locations.
  • Designed and executed a data-driven marketing campaign that supported the launch of operations in a lower-demand market.

Results

  • Achieved a 95% Red Cross certification rate for 100+ young adults across four cohorts.
  • Maintained full compliance with program standards across all four cohorts.
  • Exceeded registration goals by 25% with the data-driven marketing campaign.
  • Attracted new community partners through the campaign and supported the launch of operations in a lower-demand market.

What I learned

Program-wide averages hide which cohort is slipping. Tracking attendance and success by instructor and cohort shows it early, and the comparison is only as good as the participant records behind it.

Photos

  • Water Works cohort at the Obama Presidential Center
    End-of-program celebration at the Obama Presidential Center.
  • Water Works cohort on the Chicago River
    End-of-program celebration on the Chicago River.