After receiving the news that I was accepted to the Victory Scholar Program towards the end of the school year, the following months were packed with mix emotions. Anticipation, eagerness, anxiousness, were just some of the things I felt during this time. I made it through the stressful few months, and arrived at the Crompton Ale House in New York with my bags packed, and ready to embark on the next chapter of my life. Our Victory class got to experience a few things previous classes didn’t get the chance to, such as meeting Rory Mcllroy. This was a once in a lifetime experience, to meet someone so famous, and someone who is truly an icon in Ireland. But what made this experience even cooler was the fact that Rory wasn’t simply just showing up and signing autographs, he sat in a room with us and really took the time to meet all of us and really show his appreciation for Sport Changes Life and the entire scholar class.
Its one thing to meet someone of his stature, and it is another thing to be joining forces with Rory and his foundation in an effort to help change kids lives. Getting to sit down and meet him and have him express his gratitude to us for what we will be doing for the next several months was incredible, and we are extremely grateful for all of the work he has done and continues to do for Sport Changes Life.
On top of meeting Rory, I got to meet the Director of Athletics, Donal McNally and Director of International affairs, Donal McAlister at IT Carlow who flew in for the event. After meeting these two, I knew I would be in good hands when I arrived in Carlow. They were two of the most genuinely nice people I have ever encountered in my life, and for them to welcome me with such open arms was extremely reassuring.
