Marina Dreyfuss is just one of our students at Saint John Neumann that takes part in bettering the community while also challenging herself on the water. As a sailor, Marina strives for greatness as she dedicates herself to competing on the water and her academic success, while also getting involved with in-school activities such as clubs and extracurriculars. 

I recently asked Marina to share about herself with us and give us a little breakdown of her career. This is her experience:

What are you involved in?

My name is Marina Dreyfuss and I am a senior at SJN. I am the Head of the Assembly Committee and a member of NHS. I am also part of the SJN recycling club where we strongly urge students to recycle their trash responsibly. Outside of school, I work at Regina’s Ice Cream Pavilion where I have been promoted to a closing manager. Unfortunately, our store had a lot of damage from Hurricane Ian, so we are closed at the moment for repairs.

What is something that you participate in that’s significant to you? How does the program work?

I am a sailor and compete in the youth ILCA-6 division. I sail for Sarasota Youth Sailing in Sarasota, FL. I practice at least once a week, normally on Saturdays, and I compete often throughout the year. I started sailing in the Optimist when I was 7, and then switched to Lasers my freshman year.

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had doing this?

The most remarkable memories I have are of all the times I came across different sea animals while I sailed. For example, I’ve seen dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, huge jellyfish, manatees, and an infinite number of birds and fish. It feels unreal to have such cool animals within reaching distance.

What has sailing taught you over the course of your career?

Sailing has taught me persistence and patience, because when we compete we are on the water all day. We have to be very patient when the wind dies, and you feel so helpless in your boat.

Sailing is unlike other sports. It is very unique and challenges you in ways that other sports cannot. 

Patience and persistence and two very important virtues an athlete has to strive for to reach greatness, and this is Marina’s way of practicing them! It’s amazing to see all the hard work she is putting in to compete on the water and how it’s changed her! 

As Marina continues her sailing season, we wish her luck as she takes on the waves!