A Summer To Remember: My Experience at Sail Her Dreams

If you’ve been scrolling through our Facebook feed, checking out our Meetup events, or reading through our latest blog posts anytime between March and now, you might have caught yourself thinking, "Wait, who on earth is this Bianca person, and why is she everywhere all of a sudden?" That’s me, and after months of quietly typing away behind the scenes, creating posts, and helping bring our events to life, I figured it was finally time to step out from behind the screen, officially say hello, and put a face to the name.

Hello, all! I'm Bianca!

My name is Bianca Kreusel and I've been working at Great Lakes Sailing as a community outreach and marketing intern. Part of my job was also working alongside all the mentors, instructors, and students in Sail Her Dreams--more specifically the After School Matters (ASM) interns. This was an internship opportunity like no other but combined so many of my favorite things; women empowerment, conservation efforts, education, new experiences, and the outdoors.

To be honest, if you had told me a year ago that I’d be spending my summer sailing and diving into STEM topics, I would have laughed. Before a few months ago, I had zero sailing experience and had firmly placed myself in the "unathletic, right-brained art kid" category—the exact opposite of a sailor or a scientist. As a Master’s student studying Communication at Northern Illinois University, my world has always revolved around creativity, writing, and media. But if there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’ve never been afraid to throw myself into something unfamiliar just to see what happens. Taking that leap into unknown waters (get it?) turned out to be the best decision I could have made, turning this into one of the absolute best summers of my life.

I loved going out sailing!

If you ever ask me about my future life goals, you’ll get the same response every single time: I want to leave this world better than I found it. Period. Even if that means changing the trajectory for just one single person, I count that as a massive win. Being part of Sail Her Dreams gave me the exact outlet I was looking for to do just that. Working alongside all the incredible girls—and having the best time with the ASM interns—was such an eye-opening experience that helped me figure out what I care about. It grounded me and showed me what’s important.

When I was tasked with helping the girls create and launch a podcast, I was ecstatic. I began channeling all the multimedia journalism experience from my undergrad years to guide them through it. On day one of Sail Her Dreams, the ASM interns and I put our heads together to build a vision from scratch. We wanted a full-on visual podcast centered around our core pillars: STEM, sailing, and women empowerment. The girls pitched ideas, voted, and landed on the best title: Seas Your Dreams. From there, they ran the show. Each week, they interviewed incredible mentors, wrote all their own interview questions, handled the audio setup, and kept the visual elements looking sharp.

The ASM interns Katelyn (left), Bee (center-right), and Savannah (right) and mentor Noma Shields (center-left).

When we started, podcasting was brand new territory for mostly all the girls, but I made it my personal mission to get them comfortable behind the mic and camera. Podcasting is such a valuable medium because it teaches you so much all at once. Beyond the technical basics of sound and video, learning how to interview someone, command a room, and speak clearly are tools you take with you everywhere you go. It took some trial and error (and serious effort on their part!), but seeing them master it and build something special was easily one of the best parts of the summer. I noticed a huge difference in the way all three of them spoke by the end of the summer, how much confidence was grown, and how well they interacted with the mentors. I also noticed an increase in depth and meaning in their questions and how they kept them all cohesive.

Bee (right) helping with the water turbidity project.

At its core, being an ASM intern is all about leadership, and these girls showed up and showed out in every way possible. They were always the first to step forward to lead an exercise, run through prep work, or guide the rest of the group to keep things on track. They never complained about an assignment and always asked questions so that they could deliver what was needed in the best way possible. What I loved most was their lack of fear when trying something new. Whether they were building homemade tools to measure water turbidity or designing a complete mock underwater archaeological dig, they jumped right in and took charge like total natural leaders. Seeing them dive headfirst into brand new challenges and shine as leaders was incredible.

Sail Her Dreams attendee Naomi (left) and myself (right).

Looking back at the whole experience, I can't help but feel grateful for every single moment. I walked into this summer knowing next to nothing about sailing or STEM, and I left with a heart full of unforgettable memories, a redefined sense of purpose, and a deep pride in everything these incredible girls accomplished. Watching them grow into confident podcasters, creative thinkers, and bold leaders reminded me exactly why I wanted to do this work in the first place. Seas Your Dreams was so much more than just a summer project—it was proof of what happens when you step out of your comfort zone and lift others up along the way.

Me (left), Katelyn (center), and Savannah (right).

I came into this season hoping to make a positive impact on just one person, but in the end, it was these girls who completely changed my life for the better. Looking back, I am so deeply grateful—first to the girls for letting me lead and learn alongside them, and to Sail Her Dreams and Great Lakes Sailing for this incredible experience. Erica truly took a chance on me, recognizing that while I didn't come in as a STEM or sailing expert, I had unique tools to share that could help transform the program and give the girls skills for a lifetime.

At the end of the day, Sail Her Dreams and Great Lakes Sailing offer way more than sailing lessons; they create a space for adventure, self-discovery, and real impact. As the summer comes to a quiet close, my journey here is still going strong, and I can’t wait to bring you along for all the blogs and events ahead!