When, as an 18-year-old, Jean Luc Miralda came to the United States from his home country of Honduras, he brought with him a love for people, water, and fun. None of that has changed in the years since.
Jean Luc (also known as JL) wears many hats, including festive ones, at HAC. As the community engagement manager, he is responsible for membership support, marketing, branding, social media advertising and posting, select IT needs, parking lot attendant, and “other duties as assigned” (item #25 of his job description!).
As the head coach of the MLA Dive team, he and his assistant coaches guide 85 divers, ages 5 to 25, to new heights during the competitive season.
And as HAC’s resident comedian and go-getter, he is serious about bringing light-hearted levity to his work while getting one of his many tasks done. Multitasking, it seems, is his mode of operation.
Prior to joining the HAC team five years ago, Jean Luc studied at Hope College, graduating in 2017. As a communication major and leadership minor, he conducted research, appropriately enough, on comparative, cross-cultural happiness depicted in photos and narrative responses, even traveling to South Africa to do so. And when he was not studying or researching, JL was diving. For all four seasons that he competed for Hope, Jean Luc was an all-MIAA (Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association) diver for the Flying Dutchmen (while breaking six records) and a league champion on the 3-meter board in 2016.
So, whether you see him on the pool deck coaching, in the front lobby greeting, or at his stand-up desk not sitting, Jean Luc Miralda is happy bringing happiness to HAC.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JEAN LUC
Favorite food: Pizza ALL DAY. But I also love baleadas (a Honduran dish), cookies, brownies, teriyaki chicken, Chinese food, etc. etc. I LOVE FOOD!
Favorite movie: National Treasure or any Harry Potter film
Favorite place in the world: Roatan, Honduras
Thing that brings me joy: Giving my time and talents to others and playing guitar
Bucket list item: Scuba dive with sharks
Favorite sport: Volleyball. I still play it and coach it.
You would be surprised to know… I am the only HAC coach/employee with a record on the wall.
Best advice you ever received: Strive to be more and do more for those around you.
What attracted me to work at HAC: The opportunity to build a dive team from scratch (when he started the team in 2017, he had just six divers on the squad) and be able to make a difference in many lives.
What I like most about working at HAC: Every day is different. I enjoy working with so many different people from those on the HAC team to our many members and guests. And, of course, with the MLA dive team, too. I still don’t know why I would ever want a chair!
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At Holland Aquatic Center, our facilities are awesome and so is our staff. In this We Are HAC! series, we will introduce you to the people who love to teach, coach, protect, serve, and inspire here. Our amazing team, more than 100 strong, is passionate about empowering healthy, connected lives through aquatics and wellness programming.