The Pool and Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), the trade association representing the swimming pool, hot tub and spa industry, awarded the 2024 PHTA Scholarship to four recipients: Richard Hauser, Cecilia Oseguera, Egan Barzilay and Kaitlyn Forney. The PHTA Scholarship Program was founded to honor public swimming pool or spa operators who have pursued further education to better protect public health and now provides funding for PHTA certified professionals or their immediate family members to put toward college tuition.
To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must submit an application package for the PHTA board to review and write an essay on a topic important to the aquatics industry. This year’s essay prompt was, “Imagine you’ve been granted $25,000 annually for five years to establish a program in your community aimed at preventing drowning incidents, particularly among children. How would you utilize this funding to develop effective strategies for enhancing water safety awareness and practices? In your response, consider the various initiatives, policies or programs that can be implemented to address this critical issue and promote a culture of water safety within your community.”
Richard Hauser and Cecilia Oseguera both received the $2,000 Board Scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year.
Hauser attends the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs where he is majoring in cybersecurity management and computer science. Hauser is a certified pool and apa operator (CPO) and works as the head lifeguard at a local aquatic facility, where he is responsible for water testing, reporting and training. He is also a competitive swimmer who is passionate about aquatics and water safety. Hauser’s scholarship essay outlined a very detailed five-year plan for developing an affordable swim lesson program at community pools with the slogan “Swim S.A.F.E.,” with “safe” being an acronym for “smart, aware, fun, educated.” His plan also included funding for lifeguard training and certifications.
Oseguera attends Warren Wilson College where she is double-majoring in sociology/anthropology and global studies with a minor in Spanish. Oseguera is the daughter of Jose Oseguera, who is both a certified pool and spa service technician (CST) and certified builder professional (CBP) through PHTA. She has worked as both a construction assistant and an assistant retail manager at JDO Pools and Spas. In her scholarship essay, Oseguera suggested a new piece of legislation for her home state of Virginia to create mandatory water safety courses for middle and high school students. She also recommended strengthening relationships between schools and aquatic facilities like YMCAs and leveraging the power of social media to raise community awareness of water safety and drowning prevention.
“I am amazed by the creativity and research that the winners put into their essays this year,” says Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, vice president of partnerships and development at PHTA and head of the Step Into Swim drowning prevention initiative. “Hauser and Oseguera both hit on a key point in water safety, which is that it is a community effort that everyone can and should get behind. PHTA is honored to be able to support the next generation of water safety advocates through our scholarship program.”
Additionally, Egan Barzilay from Duke University and Kaitlyn Forney from Iowa State University each received a $1,000 Foundation Scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year. Both are children of CPO instructors. Barzilay’s essay focused on developing a free swim lesson program for low-income families that would teach both children and adults. Forney’s essay highlighted the importance of preventative measures to reduce the number of drowning incidents.
This year’s recipients were recognized during an awards ceremony at the 2025 World Aquatic Health Conference (WAHC) in Atlantic City, N.J., on Jan. 28, 2025.
