A spring-term service trip to Greece led to a new interest for UIndy sophomore Trevor Johnson, as well as a story in his hometown newspaper.
Hailing from Peoria, Ill., Johnson was among more than 30 UIndy students, alumni, faculty and friends who traveled to Athens in late June to volunteer at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games. The 12-day venture was organized by the university’s Alumni Association and Department of Kinesiology and led by Associate Professor Jennifer VanSickle and Assistant Professor Michael Diacin.
Johnson, who is majoring in sports marketing and information systems at UIndy, was intrigued by the historic sites and political activity the group saw in Greece. But the most lasting impression, he told the Peoria Journal Star, came from working with some of the event’s 7,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities. Now, Johnson wants to stay involved in Special Olympics locally, and he’s already helping to plan a track meet in Indianapolis.
“I started at the highest level, which makes you want to continue on,” he told the newspaper. “Everything about the experience was positive.”
Read the story here.
