Best Week So Far!!

As I awoke on Wednesday I had no idea what was in store for me over the next two days. As I walked over to Ruggles Station at 745am to meet my students, I was preparing for the worst. I can honestly say that when I was a kid and I was on vacation from school, all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends, play video games and just “chill.” I was fully expecting these kids to not want to be at the conference and, in turn, questioned how responsive they would be to the bullying curriculum that I was about to drop on their heads. Oh man was I wrong, the kids that showed up were off-the-wall excited to be here and participated to the best of their ability whether it was during the lesson plans or in the four square arena. Working with these young kids at Northeastern gave me an opportunity to step back and reevaluate my time here and how I have used it. I never realized how fortunate I am to go to a university that is constantly flowing with energy and activities all throughout the campus. I also never realized how much of a role model I was to kids like these during my time on the football team here. During the conference the kids had an opportunity to meet some student athletes of Northeastern that play such sports as track & field, soccer, field hockey and basketball. When these athletes entered the room they were showered with a greeting similar to those the players on the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots normally receive. The kids were going nuts; they were so excited to meet these young adults as they were viewed as heroes in their eyes. After we spoke with the athletes, we had finally reached the climax of the conference: a campus scavenger hunt. Seeing these kids sprint around and in between college students heading to class and jumping/swinging on the statues was fantastic. They were literally having the time of their lives but with the good times often come the bad times as the two day conference was coming to an end. As we walked the kids back to Ruggles and into the open arms of their parents I was overcome with feeling of joy. I was with my group for less than 16 hours and the relationship that grew between us seemed as though I had known them for 16 months. I had just as much fun as the kids if not more during my time with them and being part of this conference has really motivated me to get back to the YMCA bright and early Monday morning at 8am with my other students.

Northeastern students hit the road next week for Spring Break but we will be back trying to make a difference. Have a great week!