August 25th, 2015 | Uncategorized
Growing up, I always cherished the moments I spent with my family. They say you don’t get to choose your family and I will admit the odds worked out in my favor because they are a huge influence to who I am and the core to my life. Even though each family may not be perfect, creating relationships based on true love and trust as well as caring for another more than life itself are priceless and everlasting. Moving forward in my life, I admired people, institutions, or businesses that promote family or family-oriented environments because feeling belonged and cared for is relieving. I received my undergraduate degree from The College of William and Mary, and for those that know my college understands that it embodies the “One Tribe One Family” mantra. Whether you encountered a professor, administrator, or student, they all made you feel at home. Attending William and Mary was one of my best life decisions ever as an athlete who loves family values and basketball.
I had no idea what to expect of the scholars or staff members in the Sport Changes Life program. See as an applicant, I understood that the program had a mission to incorporate sport development with young people in the communities of Ireland. Furthermore, the program used teamwork and dedication to completely change the lives of the children with the game I absolutely love. Now the feeling to be accepted and to be a part of such a prestigious program lacks words. But witnessing the love and values of the program through its website, social media and other technologies was not completely satisfying since seeing from a distance and actually being in the moment are two different things. Landing in to Ireland was mind blowing and was far from any thing I could possibly imagine from another country. The accent did take some adjusting where meeting Aimee, this “wee” ball of fire with so much energy, was the highlight of my first day. When the second day ended, I was completely enthralled at how 13 scholars and a few staff members can make one feel like part of one big family and at home in just 48 hours. Experiencing an amazing past couple of days makes me even more optimistic for what this year will bring…
Victory Scholar: Jazmen Boone
Present University: Waterford IT
US League: CAA
Club/Community Partner: Waterford Wildcats
Alma Mater: The College of William and Mary
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland
