Jordan Bolduc, a junior cross country and track student-athlete at Susquehanna University, put her speed to use in the real world this summer working as a lifeguard at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where she saved the lives of seven people.

Though each rescue was memorable, the one she will never forget was that of a small boy who ventured too close to a rock jetty. Bolduc became worried as soon as she saw the boy swim past the flags signaling the "no-swim zone" and into an area near the jetty that often had strong riptides. She was on her way when he began to have serious trouble.

"I plunged into the ocean and just as I reached the boy and got him in the proper hold, a huge wave came down hard on us," Bolduc said. "Luckily, I had been trained how to hold the victims and lean back into the waves to avoid being pounded or wiped out by a wave. However, the riptide accompanying the wave was so strong it knocked us up against the jetty. The boy was safe in my hold since I never let go of him, and before I knew it I was pressed up against the rocks of the jetty with my back against it, protecting the boy from being hurt by the jetty."

Bolduc kept the boy in her arms as the waves slammed her against the rock jetty. About that time she saw the boy's mother struggling in the water. Another lifeguard came out to assist the woman, but he was thrown against the jetty. A third lifeguard had to assist the woman.

Bolduc waited for a calm set of waves to come in, and then she brought the boy to shore. Eventually, the other lifeguards and the boy's mother made it to shore safely as well.

"Both my stand partner and I suffered bruises and cuts due to the large rocks of the jetty, and it was a little scary out there in such rough surf," Bolduc said. "But it was certainly more than worth it to rescue two beach patrons and return them to shore unharmed."

Rescuing swimmers in the often turbulent ocean waves of Rehoboth is not a job for anyone seeking a quiet summer, but it's not a bad choice for an in-shape student-athlete looking to make a difference.

"During a rescue, my adrenaline takes over and I know that I run faster and swim harder than I ever thought possible, because I have one thing on my mind -- getting to the person and keeping them safe," she said. "When making a rescue, I am the most focused I have ever been in my life and I am driven by pure determination."

Bolduc uses that determination during the school year. She is an elementary-education major who balances her time between academics, athletics and a variety of other activities. Bolduc is the student representative on the Susquehanna University Board of Directors; vice-president of service for Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity; public relations chair for the Student Association of Cultural Awareness; and head resident of Aikens Hall.

Bolduc didn't even run the 800 meters her freshman year, but she set a school record last spring in the 800 at the outdoor Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, finishing fifth.

This fall, Bolduc was the recipient of the Ashley Shell Tomlinson Class of 1997 Memorial Award for her efforts on the cross country team. The award -- named for a four-year cross country letter-winner who was killed in an automobile accident shortly after she graduated -- is given each year to the member of the Susquehanna men's or women's cross country team who displays exceptional commitment and enthusiasm for the sport, the team and the university.

Whatever Bolduc does next, it's likely she'll keep running toward things that challenge her.

"My dad once said, 'If you want something done, give it to a busy person,' " Bolduc said. "Inadvertently, this has in some ways become my motto. Although I am involved in a wide range of activities at Susquehanna, each thing I am involved in is very important to me or I wouldn't be doing it."

For the seven swimmers Bolduc plucked from the surf at Rehoboth this year, that level of commitment was a matter of life and death.