A World we dare to imagine Part 3

As you all got to know me through the semester, I'm really passionate about sports. One thing that strikes me is the story behind some of the success in every athlete. "Open" is Andre Agassi's autobiography, and one of my favorite books. There he mentions his foundation, Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which he created in the middle of his career.

Later in his life after he dropped out of school while in Florida to pursue his tennis career, he realized the importance of education, and how important it is if you're not to become a tennis champion. What I love about this organization is the great opportunity it provided to kids who would have never had the chance to go to college and how quickly they reached their goals.

I believe Anima Mundi should invest in this organization as in the past they proved to be successful and achieved high college acceptance rates in districts where it was really low. I really believe education is a powerful tool to succeed in life. As their vision states: "We believe every child has the right to thrive."

A world I dare to imagine

Many times I wondered what I would change in this world if I had the chance. Of course change starts from small actions on a daily basis, and it then amplifies thanks to everybody's contribution. Among all the things that could be fixed, I believe education is one of them.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" said years ago Nelson Mandela. And with the presidential campaign going on, and the dream of free universities, I believe it's something that definitely needs to be changed, anywhere in the world. But before thinking of American colleges, we should probably worry about educating in countries where most of the people cannot read or write, and college is not even in their minds. Educated people would make better decisions on a daily basis, and this would lead to solve many problems at their roots. In developing countries, education can be used to teach them safe practices and daily advices. But if we are thinking we, as western countries, don't really need to change our perspectives, we are wrong. Education doesn't stop. Even after we graduate from college and we get a job, we still need to educate ourselves on what surrounds us. Last weekend in Italy, country where I'm from, people where called to vote to decide whether to keep or remove permissions to oil companies for their platforms in the sea. What turned out was that only 30% of the population went to vote, and the remaining majority didn't know what they were voting for. Education can make us choose best in every situation, allowing us to get out of a dark zone where we take everything media and politicians say for granted.

Cardinal... and GOLD! Part 2

Last time I talked about my top picks for a Trojan gold at the Olympics. Of course they don't stop there, as many other athletes will have a great chance to step onto the top of the podium. Let's continue our trip to the nation's most successful collegiate program.

Beach Volleyball
Copacabana and its sands are ready to host the top contestants in this young Olympic discipline (first appearance dates back to 1996). Team USA is on top of the medal counts, with 6 golds, 3 from the men's side and 3 from the women's, where the legendary pair of Kerry Walsh and Misty May-Treanor were able to repeat themselves three consecutive times, starting in Athens all the way until London. As Misty May-Treanor retired from the scene after her last gold, the pairs are a little different from the ones that competed in London.

Tri Bourne
Hawaiian class of 2011, Bourne lead the Trojans to the NCAA Final Four in 2009 before stepping on the sand. He was named 2013 AVP Rookie of the year and Most Improved Player in the same year. A year later he was named Top Rookie in the men's FIVB Tour. Partnering with indoor veteran John Hyden (two Olympics indoor appearances, in 1996 and 2000, both played with Jeff Nygaard, current head coach of USC men's volleyball team) they are currently in the Top 20 of the FIVB Olympic Race. However, due to country quota limit, they will have to take over American second best-ranked team Dalhausser/Lucena to gain a spot in Rio. With a gold in his palmares at the Berlin open in 2014, he could be a dark horse in the men's draw.

Jennifer Kessy
Class of 1999, she decided to play on sand after two years as an indoor pro. Her longtime partner is another Trojan alum, April Ross. Together they won the World Championships in 2009, when they were held in Stavanger, Norway. In 2012 their Olympic dreams were stopped by compatriots Walsh and May-Treanor. After their silver medal, they parted and having a baby, she will try to qualify together with Emily Day. They will have to take over second best-ranked American team of Fendrick/Sweat.

April Ross
Class of 2004 from Costa Mesa, CA, she helped the Trojans to win two back-to-back NCAA titles in 2002-2003, which are also the last ones for the Women of Troy in this sport. First team All-America, her number is currently up over the student section at the Galen Center. After a short experience indoor, she moved on to play on sand, where she achieved her best results with Jennifer Kessy. After losing the final in London, she split with Kessy. She's now partnering with three-time gold medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings. This season they already won the FIVB Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro and fell short in second place at the Vitoria Open. They have a great chance to get a gold over the summer, however the Carioca crowd will be definitely cheering for the Brazilian pairs.