When I was first accepted as a Victory Scholar and started thinking about what my year was going to be like in Ireland, I set one rule for myself. That rule was to take advantage of every opportunity that I was given during this amazing program. Whether it was to go watch a game, go see a Castle, or go spend a night in Dublin. I wanted to take advantage of everything and seize the day (Carpe Diem). Throughout the year, I have sometimes struggled to uphold this promise to myself. I have been so busy with playing, coaching, schoolwork, and a job search that whenever I’ve had any time off, I usually spent it resting or sleeping. The past couple of weeks I have really tried to refocus on doing things that make me happy, with people that make me happy.
This week started out Sunday with watching a rugby game at Thomond Park. Thomond Park is a 25,000-seat stadium where Munster Rugby plays their home matches. It was the first time I had the chance to watch one of their matches, because most of them conflict with my games. LIT was able to get me two tickets, but no one else was around or interested in going, so I went by myself. Now that may seem weird, but it’s part of me staying true to my promise and taking advantage of every opportunity. Now while it was cold and rainy, and I didn’t know much of what was going on, I enjoyed the experience of a home blowout win in front of around 25,000 fans.
The next day, Liz and I had a meeting with Aimee, our SCL coordinator, to discuss an exciting new program in Limerick. We are going to create an eHoops program in one of the toughest areas in all of Ireland. Through this program we’re going to be mentoring youth through a weekly two-hour program, based on educational support and basketball. We’re going to be giving kids support that they might not receive elsewhere. The details of the program are still being discussed, but I am really excited about the program!
I also attended our class field trip to Google in Dublin on Wednesday and Thursday. The trip was optional, but I am really glad that I went. We got a tour of the Google offices in Dublin, which were incredible. We also had three guest speakers that spoke to our entire class about their career paths. Since I am going through the difficult time of trying to find a job, it was awesome to hear other people’s experiences and career choices. We also stayed over in Dublin and then went to a whiskey distillery before heading back to Limerick on Thursday. It was an awesome trip and I’ve become really close with some of my classmates.
The last exciting part of my week was travelling to London for the weekend with two other Victory Scholars, Ian and Maddy. This was one of the first weekend’s off and we took the opportunity to visit a new place. This was such an amazing opportunity and we got to see so many things throughout London. Check out my latest vlog for more sights and details from our trip!
I am so blessed to have this opportunity and can’t thank SCL enough for providing me with these special experiences and people. That is why I want to continue to seize the day and take advantage of all of the opportunities I am given.
