SAUK COUNTY, Wis. — Angelica Berrocal has a job many other college students know well: working as a lifeguard.

However, Berrocal isn’t working at her neighborhood pool. Instead, she is working thousands of miles away from her home in Columbia as a lifeguard supervisor at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

“It has been great because I have the opportunity to speak with guests not just from the United States, but from all around the world,” said Berrocal.

Berrocal is one of several thousand J-1 Visa students working in the Wisconsin Dells area this summer.

J-1 Visas allow students, mostly at the college level, to work in the U.S. during the summer. Berrocal, who is studying civil engineering back home, said it has been a great opportunity to learn about American culture, practice her English skills and earn money.

“I am really excited to see what I do back in Columbia when I get there. And getting to know what I did this summer has been great,” said Berrocal.

While the J-1 program never went away completely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability for students to enter the country was significantly reduced. As a result, few international students were able to work at the Dells in 2020 and 2021. This year, things are getting back to normal.

For businesses, such as Wilderness Resort, the return of the program is a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Having to hire a huge number of seasonal workers in an area where the pool of local job seekers is limited can be a challenge.

“We live in a town here of 4,000 residents, and yet we need a staff of 1,600, so we really need the J-1 program to help supplement our domestic staff,” said Wilderness Resort Chief Operating Officer Joe Eck. “They are a part of our family, a great cultural exchange.”

This year, the Wilderness Resort took in around 500 J-1 Visa students to work at the water park hotel. In 2021, that number was a lot lower. It forced Eck to shift some things around.

“We were able to function; It wasn’t as easy, but we were able to work our hours down, close things down earlier, maybe not open as much of our amenities, but that is not what our guests are looking for. Our guests are looking to be [at] that vacation memory spot where everything is open,” said Eck.

The time that J-1 students can work in the United States varies depending on their home country. However, most can remain working in the Dells until mid-August.