In Her Own Words: Sherlyn Argueta, 2025 InSPIRE Intern
August 25, 2025
by Sherlyn Argueta
Sherlyn Argueta, an alumna of the CYC Foundation's Lead HER Ship program, served as the 2025 InSPIRE Intern this summer. This internship, supported by a bequest from Dr. Jean-Paul Spire, aims to provide CYC Foundation alumni/ae with postsecondary training, education, and work experience. Sherlyn was invaluable this summer in assisting the Foundation team with photography for social media and our website, and helping with the young people we serve, including assisting with teaching them to swim and sail. She is now studying at College of DuPage to become a pilot. Read on to hear about her experience in her own words.
When I first heard about the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, I was participating in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) program at the end of my junior year of high school. My NJROTC instructor, Captain Jenkins, recommended that I, along with seven other girls, apply to be selected for Lead HER Ship, a five-day sailing trip. We all wrote essays, and a few months later, I received an email from the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, stating that I had been awarded a spot on the trip. I was so filled with joy and excitement to have been given the opportunity to experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
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On July 19, 2023, I arrived at the Monroe Harbor. I was excited about my new adventure. I was about to sail across Lake Michigan, something a seventeen-year-old girl normally wouldn’t do. I never thought that in my life I was going to sail across Lake Michigan. Before this trip, I never found sailing or being on a boat to be fun. After my five-day sailing experience with the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, my opinion about sailing quickly changed.
On the cruise, I got the opportunity to learn many sailing skills; for example, how to tie knots, fire safety, basic navigation, and basic engine maintenance. I was also learning about the history of the Great Lakes. My favorite moments during the sailing trip were seeing all the constellations at night, including the Milky Way, and being taught how to identify constellations. It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. Living and growing up in Chicago, I had never seen so many stars in the night sky.
When I came back home, I couldn’t wait to tell my mom about the exciting adventure I had just had. I never thought I was going to enjoy sailing, let alone want to continue learning how to sail. In a way, this trip had changed me. It encouraged me to want more adventures and not to be afraid to explore. This trip became one of the reasons why I changed my major from criminal justice to wanting to become a pilot, because I wanted adventures and to see the world.
After that adventure, I returned to school in the fall, which was my senior year of high school. I was determined to apply and get admitted into colleges or universities that had aviation programs. I got admitted into many great colleges and universities that were top 10 in the country for my chosen field. Among them were Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Western Michigan University, and Southern Illinois University. I decided to attend College of DuPage for aviation. Pursuing an aviation career can be very expensive. I decided to stay home and attend a college close to home. College of DuPage has a new aviation program, and even though it is new, it has very positive feedback. It was highly recommended by instructors at the Illinois Aviation Academy, where I did my first discovery flight.
Knowing how expensive my college education could be, I quickly started searching for scholarships; anything to assist me in paying for my college tuition and flight training. During my search for scholarships, I was very fortunate to receive an email from Francesca Sigmond at the Foundation. Francesca informed me that the CYC Foundation was offering scholarships to high schoolers. I took the opportunity to apply. On May 16, 2024, I was the first in the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation to receive a scholarship and to be awarded the InSPIRE Internship.
At the scholarship award event, I reconnected with Francesca in person. She introduced me to very interesting people; I had amazing conversations and had a wonderful time. I got the opportunity to officially meet Maggie Shea, the new head of the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation. I felt very honored to be awarded a scholarship by the foundation and to be one of the first to be awarded an InSPIRE Internship.
The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation has given me many opportunities; the InSPIRE Internship is just the most recent. Francesca and Maggie offered me a summer position to work with children and photograph them in their sailing experience. I felt very fortunate to be offered this internship, and I was the first employee to be given this position as a photographer, even though I had no photography experience. Francesca and Maggie were very flexible with my summer school schedule. Due to my full student summer schedule, I was only available on Fridays. I was very grateful they had given me a job, and they were understanding about working around my schedule.
I was located at Belmont Harbor, where many of the summer camps took place. I was responsible for taking photos for the Foundation’s website and its social media page. I enjoyed my job; I enjoyed working with the kids and their company. One of my favorite memories is teaching the girls how to swim and helping them conquer their fear of water. It was very challenging because they were scared of the water, and it was my first time teaching someone to swim. I had to reassure them that they were safe with their life jackets and to trust me if anything went wrong. I was so proud of them; they eventually conquered their fear of the water and had a basic knowledge of swimming. Many of the children were interested in different activities, fishing and swimming out on the lake, which we enjoyed very much. When we went sailing, some of the children jumped into the middle of the lake with no hesitation. They were extremely brave. To be honest, I was frightened when it was my turn to jump in, but I didn't want to disappoint them. We were in open water, and we didn’t know how deep the water was.
I can say that these children had as big an impact on me as I had on them. We learned, motivated, and inspired each other. When were in the middle of the lake, a little girl encouraged me to jump in by saying, “You only live once.” Her words convinced me to be brave and jump in. I was proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone and experiencing that unforgettable moment with them.
On my last day of work, I went on my last mini “Mac” with the whole summer camp. This race was a very special one. I got the opportunity to participate in the race with my group and Coach Daniel. It was a unique experience and very exciting. Coach Daniel was playing the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack and music from The Pirates of the Caribbean. While we were racing, the boat was tilting, giving us the feeling that it was going to capsize. I was sitting on the edge of the boat just to balance out the weight. I learned a bit more about sailing as we were racing. It was a bit confusing, but we managed to win second place in the mini Mac.
This internship sparked my interest in sailing a lot more, as I enjoy being on the water. My goal and dreams are to be able to gain more sailing knowledge and later purchase a sailboat. Another goal—a dream—is to get a seaplane rating certification. Therefore, I can enjoy my passion, being in the water, and flying. My advice and words of encouragement to future students who are thinking about joining the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation sailing program: Give it a try first, and don’t be afraid to try new things; be adventurous. Even if some of those things make you scared, you will regret not being able to try new things. Always have an open mind about what is going to come on your next adventure.
Remember these two quotes from Disney's movie Up:
“Adventure is out there,” and “Imagine all the wonderful things that will never happen if you do not let them.”