A 2017 MC alum, Dillon Hoey, traveled this summer to Vietnam as a director for the Coach for College program. Hoey spent three weeks in the outskirts of Kan Thou, Vietnam. There, he taught the local children English and coached baseball. Hoey, currently a wrestler at Indiana University (IU), participated in the program because he saw a great opportunity to help people in need.

Hoey found out about the trip one day while walking to practice at Indiana.” Someone was handing out flyers, and I thought maybe it would be a cool idea.”

He looked into it and applied”just for fun.” But he soon realized how great an opportunity this could be, considering college athletes are not allowed to study abroad. Hoey was “shocked” when he found out that he was one of the three people from IU who were accepted out of the 50 that applied.

When it was time to go, Hoey was “more excited than nervous.” When arriving, Hoey realized how different it would be for the next three weeks. “When I landed, the culture shock was quite clear. Unlike other parts of the world, once I landed I realized the enviornment was completely unlike anything I was used to.”

In recalling his experience, what stands out was that, “My everyday life was completely altered. From the food, language, people, everything was different.” The biggest difference to Hoey was seeing how other families carried themselves. “The families in Vietnam had so little and took nothing for granted. They went out of their way to help us as much as they could.”

After the trip, Hoey came home with a new perspective on keeping a positive attitude and being thankful for what he has. He recommends that if anyone else has an opportunity like this,  you should take it, “especially in East Asia.”

(Full disclosure: Dillon Hoey is the older brother of this reporter.)