CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Each week at the YWCA on Corpus Christi’s Southside, you'll find a pool full of people and one unlikely instructor.
Socorro Moreno, who has been teaching swim exercises for the past 15 years, first came to the YWCA as a student.
“I came in for a class and I was going to do the exercise, but the instructor didn’t show up,” Moreno said.
She began doing her own routine, which caught the attention of others in the water.
“Some of the other ladies started following me, and it happened that the supervisor was in the water,” Moreno said.
That unexpected moment led to an offer for Moreno to become an instructor.
KRIS6 News asked Socorro if she had to think about the offer.
“No, right away I said yes!” she said with a laugh.
What makes Moreno’s story even more remarkable is her age.
“On November 25th I’ll be 90 years old,” Moreno said.
Her students, like Ginger Rice, said they were shocked when they first learned that.
Moreno credited her energy to a simple daily habit.
“My secret is I keep active. I go home and start doing my housework. I don’t want to get up, and I get up and move at least one hour,” she said.
At nearly 90, Moreno recently renewed her safety certification to continue teaching, a credential that remains valid for two more years.
“And I am hoping that I can stay… one day at a time,” she said.
Her influence extends beyond the pool, inspiring others to live with purpose.
“They say that I am a model for them,” Moreno said.
Her students couldn’t agree more.
“We love her. And I want to be like her, still active and able to do the things I love,” Rice said.
Moreno reminds that her class is co-ed. This is her schedule:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
- Tuesday & Thursday from 6-7pm.
The Y says they offer a $5 drop-in fee for community members wanting to take classes if they are not members.
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