Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer, and as such plenty of kids will be hitting the pool to learn how to swim for the very first time.
Lined up on the edge of the water with them will be 25-year-old Grand Prairie councilman Junior Ezeonu.
These lessons are personal for Ezeonu, who has had a fear of the water since the age of 11 when he nearly drowned.
He told NBC DFW the incident took place at a swimming party for his brother's basketball team explaining, "Everyone was in the pool, and they were making fun of me for not getting in the pool. So I was like, I'll show these guys – I'll show them I can swim.
"I'd never been near a pool at that age and jumped in the deep side. Immediately as I got into the water, I literally [sunk]. It was insanely scary, very terrifying."
It took him more than a decade to recover from his trauma, but last year, as his role was growing as a community leader, he decided to face those fears head-on, completing his first round of swimming lessons which will continue this summer.
"I've been proud that I've made some progress. Still got some work to do – definitely to be more comfortable and be an even better swimmer, but I've made some progress and I'm moving in the right direction," he said.
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