Greetings world and welcome to my very first blog! My life has completely changed all because of a phone call I received 2 weeks ago and I’d like to share with you just how that happened.
Wee lads by the name of Aimee Shiels and Gareth Maguire called and described to me something called Sport Changes Life. Now, for the first five minutes of that conversation I literally couldn’t understand one word they were saying because of their Irish accents. But somehow, by the end of the phone call, I was in complete euphoria. At the time, I was in Ogden, Utah training with my college team and taking an online class. My plans were to take the fall semester off, work at my job, and workout with my teammates in hopes that a team overseas would pick me up. Having just reached the end of my collegiate career of basketball had me in a state of denial and in a frantic search for what to do next. Basketball has always been what has carried me through life; it allowed me to go to college on scholarship, it has been the foundation of the numerous friendships/relationships I have created along the way, and it has been the one part of my life that stayed consistent and gave me stability. I came to learn that Sport Changes Life is a unique and empowering opportunity for student athletes from the USA to extend their education to post-graduate level while continuing to play the sport they love and inspiring other young people to look to a better future. Did I mention that it would all happen in this beautiful place called Ireland? Doesn’t that sound too good to be true?? It was better than anything I had ever dreamed of. The program embodied the exact three things that I had hoped to do in my future! I immediately accepted their offer to join the team and it gave my life direction again.
ME? A Victory Scholar? Who would’ve thought? Being selected as a Victory Scholar and joining the Sport Changes Life team has been a true blessing and I am very excited for this incredible opportunity and experience. I have no doubt that it will change my life forever and help me grow as an individual. It already has!
