January 10th, 2015 | Uncategorized
The opportunity to be a Sport Changes Life Victory Scholar has placed me in a surreal position. I have realized my capacities to help people expand their perspectives, while stretching the boundaries of my comfort zone and understanding at the same time. The ability to travel over this break has given me so much; and although I miss my family, and some home-cooked food, and a lot of my friends back home….I could never look back and exchange what these adventures over the past month have shown me. After spending time in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, I am now headed to Cape Town, South Africa for 2 weeks. As I experience different cultures, ideas, settings, styles, and much much more, I realize how the work that I am doing with Sport Changes Life is transferrable across almost any context.
Sports aside, the core values that this organization is built upon (community building through positivity, affirmation, and constructive relationships) are universally human. We can all relate and grow from experiences based in these principles. So I now have this feeling that no matter where I travel and no matter how far I go and no matter how much I may learn and fill my mind with fascinating information…..we will always relate to other human beings through what is universal, that is, what we can all connect to. I hope I can get into more detail as these weeks carry on, but in a nutshell, it is all starting to make a little bit of sense. There is some sort of method to the madness in which we constantly operate.
There are so many people in this world, yet the importance and gravity of a positive action by simply one person will always have an infinite and immeasurable effect. I guess in time we’ll find out if my theory is accurate. One thing is for sure, I have caught the travel bug, and I have got it bad bad bad. Every day is a new adventure.
See you in Cape Town!
Victory Scholar: Jonathan Nelson
Sport League: ATLANTIC 10
Present University: University of Limerick
Alma Mater: Dayton University
