When was the last time I smiled? This was the question I asked myself to start this piece. I am not referring to that simple, artificial “five-second nice-to-meet-you grin.” Rather, when was my face covered with a genuine, ear-to-ear, teeth-out, type of smile that leaves you thinking minutes later why hasn’t this smile left my face?
As student-athletes, the constant rush of life, sports, and chaotic schedules make it so easy to get caught up in complaining. Before starting the ACE program, I would argue that I smile all the time, and I would’ve listed in length the recent laughs I’ve had as proof. But, it was in Cape Town that I truly witnessed the type of joy I want my future smiles to hold. The bright smiles that filled the faces of the students and staff in the Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDs), on the field, and at the project sites were the true models of a real smile. When I think about the students that we worked with in the ECDs, their cheers for electricity, their sprints across the room to wrap around my legs, their efforts to remember my name and greet me with a smile deeper than anything I’ve ever seen, taught me more than they could imagine.
I could go on for days about the impact their strength, perseverance, and character have held on my future as a student, athlete, and simply as a human being.
– Abby Alemayeho, Stanford Squash
During and before this experience, I prayed that I could leave even a small footprint with the partner project programs in South Africa, and that the children we worked with really learned something from my time there. But writing this piece after the completion of the program, I am teary-eyed because of the even larger footprint that the people of South Africa made on me. I pray in my future that the type of energy and positivity this world has put in these children, I too, can develop. I will forever look for good in my life and work every day to greet others with the type of love and joy the students taught me through their daily actions.
No one had to set up a PowerPoint presentation or even speak a word, it was solely through their actions that the students taught me years’ worth of lessons. For instance, on the field, students were capable of excelling at difficult techniques within a mere three weeks! Oh! I could go on for days about the impact their strength, perseverance, and character have held on my future as a student, athlete, and simply as a human being.
As I close, I urge you to be present in your every day and trust that in places you leave your footprint, there is often a footprint also left on you. Hold onto those lessons because
on the crazy rollercoaster called life, we learn from others constantly. I leave the Cape this summer having learned the value of perseverance and understanding what a gift a smile is. A genuine smile truly speaks more than any words. The deepest thanks to the ACE team and GVI for this unforgettable experience!