When he was just 6 years old, Gavin Loughlin learned how to surf in the waters off Wildwood, New Jersey. Spending summers at the Jersey Shore, where his grandparents owned a house, he picked up the hobby from his three older siblings and cousins, who spent most of their summer days swimming and surfing in the Atlantic.

“Pretty much anything I can do in and around the ocean, I’ve always been really drawn to,” says Loughlin, a member of the men’s swimming team. “It’s a big part of why I chose Monmouth—I could swim here and be able to surf in between classes and practice every day.” 

An experienced lifeguard and surf instructor, Loughlin was introduced to Surfers Healing through his connections in the surfing community, where he discovered the nonprofit’s mission of enriching the lives of individuals with autism through the transformative experience of surfing. 

Founded in 1996, Surfers Healing has served tens of thousands of participants around the world through daylong camps, where the sensory immersion of surfing provides a therapeutic escape.

Loughlin initially hopped onto the tail end of the group’s Northeast tour four years ago, spending the first weekend of his sophomore year with them in Belmar, New Jersey, and Montauk, New York. 

While he says the first trip out was overwhelming—learning to ride tandem with inexperienced swimmers in six-foot swells—he was immediately hooked after seeing how much the experience helps not just the children, but also their families. 

“Surfers Healing’s motto is ‘one perfect day,’ and for all these families, there’s no better way to describe it than that,” he says, noting that the day gives families of nonverbal children or those with behavioral challenges a chance to connect while their children have a fun, carefree experience on the water. “You definitely feel like you’re really making a difference in people’s lives.” 

This past August, Loughlin traveled with the organization on its Southeast tour, spending 10 days helping hundreds of kids experience the thrill of surfing. Each day, he worked one-on-one with about a dozen participants, earning their trust, acclimating them to the water, and safely guiding them through the surf.

Beyond connecting with fellow volunteers, Loughlin says the most rewarding part is seeing each rider transform, whether by opening up and connecting with other riders or letting loose and relishing the joys of catching their first waves. 

“You create a bond with each kid out there because, whether they can communicate it or not, you can tell they develop a sense of trust for you. And once they get that first wave, it’s easy to see from the stimulation and sensory experience they’re having that [the experience] is so powerful for them,” he says.

Loughlin, who earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Monmouth last spring and is currently working toward an MBA, plans to pursue a career in finance. He has personal goals in mind too, such as winning the Catalina Classic (an endurance paddleboard race) and surfing the world’s most iconic waves, including Mavericks in California. But volunteering with Surfers Healing will always remain a priority. 

“Surfing keeps me sane,” he says. “It’s so polar opposite of swimming, where you’re always so focused on times. … I have the complete opposite mentality with surfing—I just do it for fun, and I definitely plan on doing this for as long as I can.”