NASHVILLE, Tenn. — People bring back many things from a week of travel: souvenirs, sunburn, some good stories to tell. For student-athletes fresh off another year balancing world-class academics and SEC athletics, there would be nothing wrong with looking forward to little more out of a trip than lazy days by the pool or old-school sightseeing.
But for 16 Vanderbilt student-athletes, a weeklong immersion trip to Guatemala in May wasn’t about unwinding at the end of the year. Far from familiar campus paths they followed to class or practice, they walked with locals on daily treks to the farm fields that sustained communities. They spoke with schoolchildren and watched medical professionals and volunteers fight malnutrition in a low-resource community. While they returned with photos and stories (and a few sunburns), the perspective they gained will last longest of all.
“I know that in my life, in whatever kind of career path I choose or wherever I end up, this is something that really brings me joy,” swimmer Jenna Ravarino said of the experience. “I want to make sure that I continue to do this throughout my life, taking that extra second to step away from my world and experience and give back to other people. That’s something that changed my perspective on a lot of things and instilled a different level of gratitude that I didn’t realize I could have.”
Ingram Center in Action
The trip was organized through collaboration between the Ingram Center for Student-Athlete Success and Avery Dickins de Giron, executive director of the Center for Latin American Studies, and Mario Avila of the Owen Graduate School of Management. Working with the Office of Immersion, the Ingram Center ensured that students could apply the week toward their immersion requirement if they wanted. Student-athletes from six teams and a variety of classes and majors participated, with all travel costs covered, and they chose among itineraries that offered either a social impact and sustainability or health care focus. The travel party also included three faculty members and four staff members from Athletics and Housing, with the Ingram Center’s Katelen Watkins, assistant director for student-athlete development, quarterbacking the planning and execution.
The social impact track worked closely with Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based nonprofit and longtime community partner that distributes shoes and clothes to those in need around the world. Student-athletes also…