The Launch Event was SO GREAT. Where do I start? We met Irish pro golfer Rory McIlroy and were able to have a Q & A with him. We asked him questions about his upbringing, his favorite places in Ireland, and hobbies outside of golf that he enjoys. He was really down to earth and very supportive of improving the lives of Irish youth through sport. He is partnering with Sport Changes Life this year, which is awesome. His support allowed us to have 23 scholars (there were 13 last year) this year. 21 of us are basketball players and 2 are golfers. AND Rory’s support meant we got some free Nike stuff!!!. We were like kids at Christmas when we were handed Nike backpacks containing sneakers, a zip-up, and a Bose Bluetooth speaker. So. Cool.
But what was even more special for me personally was that my mom, sister, and, very surprisingly, my athletic director from Saint Joe’s were there! Mr. Don DiJulia himself was in attendance which was so incredibly kind of him. Things like this remind me how great of a support system SJU was and still is. I feel so fortunate that the Atlantic 10 and the Big 5 pursued a partnership with SCL, or else I would not have had this opportunity.
During this event, it really hit me how lucky we all were to be in this program. To see how proud everyone there was of us was so cool. My mom cried tears of joy (which is nothing new—she’s an angel), but it still made me appreciate how parents, supporters, and the SCL people felt about us 23 scholars. It is special and I intend on appreciating every minute of it.
