I remember traveling on the Megabus at 5am from Washington, D.C., headed to New York, with the utmost excitement and anticipation for what was head. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep the night before and essentially pulled an all-nighter, leading me fall asleep for the entire 4 hour ride (seemed like the best four hours of sleep ever!). So I arrived in NY, and with all my luggage in hand I trekked to our meeting spot at the Hilton hotel—trekked may be a bit of an exaggeration seeing that the Hilton was only a block away from my bus stop, but it was hot, and I was still tried from the bus ride, so the exaggeration is rightfully deserved. I met up with Aimee and a couple of scholars and got settled. While waiting for all scholars to arrive we went across the street to a restaurant that was meant to be the place for us all to convene. One by one everyone started to trickle, and one by one I got more excited about being a part of a special group.
We spent a couple of hours sitting there getting to know each other and expressing how excited we were. Once all the scholars arrived we walked to a near by park and played ice breakers and formally introduced ourselves and discussed what we each hoped to gain out of the program. Fast forward to us being settling in our accommodation for the weekend and getting ready for the launch, and that’s when the true excitement kicked in. Walking to the Nike office I was filled with a plethora of emotions, and had a sense of feeling like I had finally arrived and this was the true beginning of a new journey.
It was great to be around such influential individuals and being afforded the opportunity to share such an experience with them was like no other. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Rory McIlroy as a group and pick his mind with questions regarding his career and his partnership with Sport Changes Life. What also made the launch special were the surprise gifts given to us from Nike and Bose. Receiving a pair of running shoes, hoodie, backpack, and Bluetooth speaker was more than I had ever imagined to be receiving as a gift. The scholars and I were in such awe and displayed the utmost gratitude for the amazing gifts. Overall, the event had a great atmosphere filled with positivity and excitement for what was to come from this year’s scholars. It felt great to be a part of something that is bigger than me, but still seen as a vital component needed for success. Everyone in attendance was so welcoming and proud to display us as the Victory Scholar class of 2016-2017.
