Team Effort

On the eve of our departure, the 13 Western New England College students who comprise "Seminar Abroad '08: Beijing Olympics," the first summer sport-travel course of the Center for International Sport Business, have developed a true esprit de corps, and have come together well as a team. From the beginning, going back to our half dozen or so meetings this past spring, students have volunteered to take the lead in various projects. Whitney coordinated the on-campus raffle of Red Sox tickets, while Jess and Jake provided ideas and designs for our t-shirts. Meanwhile, Jake, Bre, and AJ sourced vendors to screen the t-shirts, and AJ located a company in China to produce our very own lapel pins for trading at the Olympics. AJ also designed the graphics for our good-looking identity cards, and Jake researched teddy bear vendors to find the perfect "Golden Bear" mascot for our trip. To help with fundraising, Marti organized a sale of items on eBay, and she also volunteered to coordinate the BOG (Beijing Olympic Games) Blog. Over spring break, Mike went up to Chicago and brought back "Chicago 2016" Olympic pins for everyone, to use as possible trading fodder in Beijing. Lauren and Marti sought donations of sporting goods to auction, and Jess solicited local restaurants about doing a cause-related donation program. AJ spearheaded the letter-solicitation drive directed at business establishments in students' home towns, as well as to friends and family members. Mike wrote and submitted a grant application to the Alumni Association, and Mike and Marti worked on a brochure to market this trip to potential donors. While I am certain that I have overlooked other examples, every student has demonstrated enthusiasm and initiative in contributing to the planning and organization effort, and I am confident that this kind of team spirit will ensure that our trip is an unmitigated success.