Studying Abroad Gives Witkay a Summer She Will Never Forget

Photo Gallery

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Travel is often the best teacher. Kelsey Witkay, co-captain of the FAU women's swimming and diving team, would agree. The junior's three-week internship in Cape Town, South Africa last summer helped put Witkay's life into perspective.

Witkay took part in one of the many internship programs offered by Student-Athletes Abroad, an international education program designed for student-athletes. The program gives student-athletes the opportunity to go abroad and gain internship experience, while also allotting time for each one of them to stay in shape for their sport through daily workouts.

"Student-Athletes Abroad really stuck out to me," said Witkay. "They structure their programs to be three-to-four weeks long because they know student-athletes have busy schedules and may not have any opportunities to go abroad."

Once Witkay got accepted into the program, she was a bit indecisive of where she wanted to go. She had been abroad before on family vacations, but on her first trip alone overseas, she wanted to take advantage of the unique opportunity of being able to spend some time in Cape Town.

Witkay wasn't quite sure what she was getting herself into prior to leaving for the trip. She did not know the six student-athletes from the other schools and sports who would accompany her, and she was not sure the type of impact she would be able to make on the organization she would be interning for. Nonetheless, she trusted everything would work out.

For her internship, Witkay worked with Project Playground, a non-profit organization that uses sports as a vehicle for development. Project Playground takes kids growing up in the townships of Cape Town, which were created during the apartheid, as a way to separate individuals based on race, and gives them opportunities and programs to positively develop. Many of these kids come from broken families and inadequate living conditions.

Witkay helped out with the organization's marketing and fundraising efforts and developed brochures and pamphlets the organization could use for its sponsors. She is still helping Project Playground to this day by selling bracelets and spreading the word about the organization and what it means to the children she was working with during her time in South Africa.

"At first, I thought that I would just help Project Playground for the three weeks I was there," said Witkay. "Today, I'm still helping [the organization] in order to make a lasting impact for years to come. I really feel like I've been able to make a difference."

Witkay's most memorable day began with a hike of Table Mountain. Although the hike was not an easy task, it was very rewarding when she reached the top. Later the same day, Witkay followed along with the social worker for Project Playground who regularly goes around the kids' homes to check on their homelife situation. Witkay will always remember one of the kid's homes on the route, a metal shack about the size of a king size bed that housed five people. After the visit, the social worker let Witkay know about the domestic violence and abuse that goes on in that household. This really opened Witkay's eyes.

"It put everything into reality for me," said Witkay. "Once I got to the top of [Table Mountain] earlier in the day, it was so rewarding and probably one of the best views I've ever seen. I saw that beautiful view earlier in the day, but then later met these people living in such rough conditions on the other side of the mountain."

One of the biggest lessons Witkay learned from her trip was to not take anything for granted. From the moment Witkay arrived in Cape Town to the time she left, she was welcomed by everyone with open arms. Although most of these people had so little, they had so much love for others, which is something Witkay will always remember.

"We really have so much, and we should always be sharing the love," said Witkay. "There is no reason to be ungrateful for what we have."

When Witkay was not helping out with Project Playground, she was training at the Sport Institute of South Africa or going on different excursions with her group. She had the opportunity to be taken on a wildlife safari, as well as go shark cage diving, which Witkay credits as one of the most exciting things she has ever done.

Through the lessons she learned in her internship and the experiences she had during her time in Cape Town, Witkay took back a lot of valuable lessons with her to the states. Although her time abroad may have been short-lived, she will never forget her summer of 2018 in Cape Town.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Witkay

Upcoming Events

Florida Atlantic University Athletics