KLF selected 6 student-athletes from St. Vincent & the Grenadines to bring to Orlando, Florida for 2 weeks of basketball and learning. Read about their experience in their own words!
Skip to Day 1 (the beginning) >
Some insights from KLF's Executive Director, Shiyana Valentine
When we first came up with the All-Star Student-Athlete Mentorship Program, I was really excited about it. I felt that it was a very exciting direction for KLF to go in and thought this would be a way for us to make a lasting impact in kids’ lives.
Selecting our 6 student-athletes was no easy task, but the fact that we had been working with a broad selection kids through our Athletics & Academics Camps in St. Vincent & the Grenadines helped. Through the A&A Camps, we had identified a cadre of kids with raw athletic talent, and when we asked local coaches and teachers for nominations, we were able to cross-check them against our list. The kids had to also write an application including an essay on why they wanted to participate in our program. I was really touched by the honesty of the kids and their burning desire to succeed in life, despite their not-so privileged backgrounds.
 The first day that I met our 6 ASA kids in person was really special for me. Each of their personalities shone through and I was so thrilled to be the one to carry them on their great adventure. Their trip to the States was not an easy one. Previously we had to apply for visas for most of the kids and chaperones, so they had already had to fly to Barbados (the closest country to St. Vincent & the Grenadines with a US Embassy) for an interview with US immigration authorities. But that was a day trip, this time around they would be literally spending the whole day in planes and airports and I was impressed by their stamina and patience. It took us a total of four planes and 18 hours to travel from Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines to Orlando, Florida. We had as long as a four hour wait in the Barbados airport to catch our flight to Miami, but through it all the kids persevered and behaved extremely well.
When we finally got to Orlando, it was midnight and I don’t think there was very much registering in their minds as I drove them to the Rosen Center Hotel (our home for the first week) in our 12-seater white van. However they certainly woke up when we pulled in front of the enormous hotel that rose over 20 stories into the sky. In St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG), the tallest building probably goes to no more than 5 floors and that’s the Prime Minister’s Office, so not many of the kids have visited there! Our rooms were on the 19th floor, something that I take for granted, and it was only the next day when I heard the kids talking, did I realize what a startling change that is for them.
I’ll let the kids tell you about their experiences in their own words. But what I want to share with you was my discovery of the kids’ indomitable spirit, thirst for knowledge and desire to improve themselves. I was really moved as I watched them grow in just the short two week period for which we had them. As we exposed them to new and different culture, ideas, and food, and yes, even the roller coasters, you could see the possibilities clicking through their minds. And I loved being a part of their “ah ha” moments when they started to internalize particular concepts. During our morning of interviews Azizah took ownership of the video camera and made it her job to assist in recording everything. At UCF’s College of Engineering, Leandru realized that he didn’t have to set his career goals to fix planes, but he might be interested in the design process and expanding that to other products, such as roller coasters. Nemiah took to his chef’s duties at the JW Marriott like a duck to water. Jemmie saw that University was an opportunity for him to experiment and explore his career options.
At the conclusion of the kids’ visit to the University of Central Florida, they were all so motivated to do better in school so that they too can attend university. I like to think that we helped them recognize that they the opportunities that they hear about are tangible and apply to them as much as they do to anyone else. But they will have to work for it! The responsibility is now upon them to do their very best so they can realize their potential and grow into successful adults.
Now that we’ve ignited their desire to attend university, we too have a responsibility, and that is to help them get there. KLF has just sent laptops to each of the kids, and we will monitor them throughout the school year to keep them motivated and assist them in whatever way possible. The chaperones who traveled with them also feel very strongly about these kids and they will be our eyes and ears on-the-ground. Scholarships are few and far between for international students, but we will look out for them, and as our fundraising efforts improve we would like to create our own fund to help them cover the cost of a higher education.
Go to Day 1 (the beginning) >
Go to Day 2 (Acclimating to the USA) >
Go to Day 3 (First day of basketball camp) >
Go to Day 4 (Visiting the Orlando Magic practice facility) >
Go to Day 5 (Camp & Medieval Times) >
Go to Day 6 (Busch Gardens) >
Go to Days 7 & 8 (Vist to Fox 35 TV studio and the doctor) >
Go to Days 9 & 10 (Shopping and Universal Studios) >
Go to Day 11 (Orlando Science Center and Etiquette lesson) >
Go to Day 12 (Interviews and basketball) >
Go to Day 13 (Thank you party) >
Go to Day 14 (Wet 'n Wild and JW Marriott experience) >
Go to Day 15 (University of Central Florida and Cirque du Soleil) >
ASA Program Page >
| 
