NEW ORLEANS, La. (UCFKnights.com) – For the next week, 16 student-athletes and staff will work with the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans. The Knights will lend a hand to the project that is helping bring home the thousands of families that were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
This is the ninth trip of Knights Without Borders, which has also visited Costa Rica, Panama, Ireland and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and worked locally in Orlando.
The following is a blog documenting their experiences throughout the week.
August 14, 2017
Rachael Klunder (Rowing):
"In the past 48 hours of arriving back and getting into the regular routine, I have had numerous conversations with friends and family about my trip. It's overwhelming to reflect on as it truly was an eye-opening experience. I would say life-changing as well, in the sense that I was exposed to things I have never seen before. I had interactions with others, and tough conversations with people I have never had before. There was so much to absorb and learn in just one week, and I am very thankful to have taken part of this trip.
Expressing to others how much this trip impacted me was hard for them to wrap their head around. What I experienced is unique and so is everyone else's that took part of this trip. I told my friends and family that you have see it to really believe it and understand. I was a little confused at first why we were going to New Orleans. The hurricane happened 12 years ago, is there really still lots of work to do? That was my first thought, but that changed quickly upon my arrival to New Orleans. What upset me was driving through the streets and seeing that there is still so much work to be done, and how was I so naive to not know that it was like this. I really had no idea, and it hit me like a bus when I go about my daily routine, sleep under a roof, drive a car, go to the stores and there are still people without homes. Homes that washed away 12 years ago. What have I been doing for the past 12 years...going about my daily business, worrying about me, and the things that effect me.
It opened my eyes to see through a different perspective. I have granola bars in my glove box to give to homeless people when I drive by, and I thought why do I just have a granola bars? I should have a water, an apple and a granola bar, because I know I can spare more than just the granola bar. It's the little things that I am going to change because I am bigger than myself. I need to make an impact wherever I go, and continue to do good to people that are all around me.
Upon coming home to a full bedroom and house with just things and stuff that fill space, I have decided to give back and get rid of some things. I don't need all these things; they are just things. I find I get lost in things and not moments. I need to focus more on the now and the moments I am in than the things that surround me. By the end of the week, I am going to bring some donations to goodwill because I need to live a more simple life, and recognize that we don't always need the next best thing. There are many, many people that need far more than me. I am very grateful and blessed to have been a part of this trip as these experiences have made me view everything in a different light. I am so thankful for the family relationships I made on this trip as I know they have been just as impacted as myself."
August 12, 2017
Ashton McMurray (Cross Country/Track and Field):
"Going on KWOB to New Orleans has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. Just driving back on to campus and thinking about how we only left a week before seemed impossible. I grew so close to this group of 16 people and saw and learned so many things for it to only be a week. Every second of the trip was so fulfilling. Learning firsthand from those who experienced Hurricane Katrina was shocking to say the least. The world does not know or understand the full extent of damage on this area and how little the world helped them repair. So many mankind errors are still happening when it comes to their repairs.
Working on Ms. Delores' house was so amazing, to give a home back to a woman who has been out of it for 11 years. And one day, we even got to help repair a local movie theatre, and seeing the gratitude on the owner's face was well worth it.
Every tour we did or event we went to, from Mr. Greene showing us around the 9th Ward to Mardi Gras World to a jazz night to BMike's Civil Rights street art, everything taught us so much about this amazing and welcoming culture that fills New Orleans. I made lifelong friends in this group of student-athletes. As Lizzy said, we experienced every emotion together. We all consider each other family and that's something only this experience could have given to me. I hope that now that we are back, we can all spread awareness about Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans so that others will want to give back also.
I'm so blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve and learn this past week. It was truly once in a lifetime!"
Aubrey Johnson (Softball):
"I'd like to start with saying that this trip was truly a blessing to me. I filled out the application knowing none of my teammates or close friends were going. This did not intimidate me because I had heard so many great things about these trips. At the beginning of the week, Kayla told everyone we would all walk away feeling like a family. That happened to be true! I went into this trip not knowing a single student-athlete going, but as I stepped off the returning flight, I felt like we were a family, all within a week.
This trip was life changing. It was good to step away from practice and teammates for a week to experience the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. This trip put life into perspective for me in a couple different ways. First, with Mr. Greene. He was so positive, and he lost everything in Katrina - family members and his home. The Superdome and all the chaos in the Superdome. Lastly, BMike at "Studio Be." This one hit me hard. This man's theme was "Ephemeral." He put all this hard work into his paintings for them to only be temporary. I compared this to my sport. BMike painted civil rights and Katrina history. He was so passionate about his paintings. He inspires and speaks to so many people through it. This made me realize my ability to play softball is ephemeral like his artwork. But why am I not doing everything I can to inspire and speak through my ability? This instantly changed my view.
This trip, again, was truly life changing. I thank everyone who was able to make it happen."
August 10, 2017
Korneila (Kay Kay) Wright (Women's Basketball):
"Started off the day at the worksite, but they needed a few of us to go to the warehouse to elevate supplies before the storm came. This task challenged us as a group because teamwork was strictly enforced and necessary in this job. Upon starting the task, I saw all of the work that needed to be done and I saw it as a major challenge. Realizing the importance of the situation, I knew I was going to push through. This reminded me of the off-season, having to work hard and push through things that aren't necessarily comfortable but necessary to reach our individual/team goals.
Next, the art exhibit gave me hope and life for my passion of women's basketball and my shoe game. Seeing the equality piece dedicated to women, especially in my sport, made me appreciate and realize the strides we've made in our sport. But also realizing there is much more to come in the future. It also motivates me to want to excel and make it in my life so my works could impact my community, family and the world we live in.
The highlight of the day wasn't even on our schedule and made such an impact on me. It was in God's plan for me to help at the worksite and meet Mr. Bryan, a local movie theatre owner. He was working alone, trying to recover from a flood the week before. He had little resources and help, so we as a group decided to put in extra work to help out. This felt so good to know that I was helping the ordinary man get back on his feet. Seeing a smile on his face really touched my soul."
Kayla Pritchett (Track and Field):
"The art exhibit, along with working in the warehouse and the theatre was an eventful day. I feel like a lot of people have started getting tired of just painting, sanding and mudding, so when we were actually able to move things around and get our hands dirty - as much as they didn't want to do it - I still think they enjoyed it.
When we went to help the man at the theatre, I could tell how appreciative he was that he had people helping him and that felt good. Overall I grasped so much inspiration for myself as an individual at the art gallery and it just me think a lot about myself. I was simply humbled because this talented artist was just chilling. That's the easiest way I can put it. He was just so chill and humbled that I fed off of his energy. He was amazing, and I hope he knows, but I'm sure he does."
August 9, 2017
Dina Samaan (Rowing):
"Fourth day of work today and the house looks better and better. Max and Jordan are just so patient and amazing with us. Mrs. Delores' daughter came by today and it was really nice to meet her. We got to hear a lot about her family history and how Mrs. Delores is. We again got another perspective on the way New Orleans was during Hurricane Katrina and how it is now. That led to another great discussion at lunch. Something I noticed about myself is that I tend to believe everything I hear. But lunch really opened my eyes to everything and really dig deep into everything I've learned so far.
After lunch, we went to the Mardi Gras museum and that was cool. Seeing all of the floats and how different they are was cool. Also, seeing the warehouse where everything was built was really awesome. I got to be the queen for the day because of this baby I found in my cake. It was special. Then Kay Kay and I went on a run. Something that I was really looking forward to on this trip was the conversations that I would have with people. I just love hearing stories, and during our little workout, I got to hear a little bit about hers.
Then off to dinner. Dinner was good. Maybe not the best service, but we got to hear about Ben's life, and that was amazing. Karaoke was the highlight of the night. Sad that this week is going by so fast, but trying to enjoy every second of it."
August 8, 2017
Rachael Klunder (Rowing):
"Had a great day back at the worksite today - great teamwork from the group. It's great to see how close everyone is getting and the friendships that are forming. My favorite part of today was our lunch break talk because we learned so much about each other - even just little things, but it still creates such a sense of community. The group has such respect for one another when we go into deep conversation and really dive into some tough subjects.
This whole trip is just really opening up my eyes to things I have never been exposed to, and for that I am grateful. We also toured the Superdome as a group to really get a feel for what it was like inside the Superdome. It was crazy to put it all in perspective because, seeing it from the inside, it's huge. Just trying to imagine how filled it really was was eye-opening.
Thankful for today, but excited for tomorrow."
Saitejas (TJ) Mopuri (Men's Tennis):
"Today we all got better in doing the work that we did yesterday, and we really enjoyed our work. We were dancing, laughing and working at the same time. It felt really good to be a part of it and meeting all these amazing people.
At the lunch break, we all tried to open up to each other, and tried to get to know each other better than yesterday. We had a lot of fun doing that, and we all enjoyed the little conversations we had.
After lunch, we worked a little bit more and went to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We toured around the Superdome and saw where the hurricane victims took shelter. It was devastating to see all those pictures of the victims."
August 7, 2017
Dayon Griffin (Men's Basketball):
"Yesterday, when we were working on the house for Ms. Delores, I learned that building a house is difficult. You have to be perfect with every detail.
It was fun working together and coming together as a family. I never thought I would ever enjoy a jazz show. Experiencing the culture here is amazing. I am very glad to be a part of this trip. This trip is making me realize that it doesn't matter about the bad. It's about how you overcome the challenges for the better."
Monica Matias (Women's Tennis):
"When you think of volunteering to help rebuild a house that was affected by Hurricane Katrina, you picture yourself doing big things like putting walls up, or laying down foundation. The truth is much less exciting than that, and suddenly you find yourself five hours into the job and you feel like you haven't done anything meaningful. You've spent the whole day working, and all you've got to show for it is a wall in the back of a closet that you helped make a little smoother, and a pair of shorts that used to be black but will probably never look that way again. You feel unimportant, but the truth is, you are far from that.
In every stroke of the brush, or every smoothing of the wall, you realize that you're not helping to rebuild a family; you are helping to rebuild hopes and dreams. You are helping to rebuild a community. So remember that this isn't about making you feel good or important. It's about letting that family know that they are important; that they matter. And this is just as easily done by putting down the foundation, or by simply wishing the tools that others used. It's not the magnitude of waht you do that's important; it's the act of going there and doing something. Anything."
August 6, 2017
Aubrey Johnson (Softball):
"Today I realized how awful Hurricane Katrina really was. Everyone hears about how many people died and how destructive it was, but many people don't fathom it. We met a man that saw his niece and mother float away, taken by the hurricane. Today I learned that these people lost everything - literally everything they had - but this man was so positive and upbeat about moving forward. It was inspiring. Just being around this man made my heart happy. He gave me an outlook on life that I haven't thought of. The outlook was 'everything happens for a reason and God has a plan coming from it.' So take the tragedy and run in a positive direction with it, which is exactly what this guy did."
Ashton McMurray (Cross Country/Track and Field):
"When we first showed up at Mr. Greene's house, I was almost confused as to why we were there. At the end of the tour, I was unbelievably happy that we had been blessed by this man's stories. As he illustrated for us the time period when Hurricane Katrina was about to hit and then actually hitting New Orleans, all you could hear from the group was gasps and the smiles. Just trying to imagine the experience he went through, and having to make the decisions he did. I can't even imagine it, actually.
When we started driving around the ninth quarter neighborhood, that was when I finally could grasp just how close all of these homes were to the source of the flooding. And seeing the lots from where families never came back and rebuilt, that was hard. This neighborhood is fully of scary and terrifyingly sad memories for all of the families, and some chose to stay and rebuild. That was an inspiration. They did not let their hard times define them, but chose to use them to make a better life. Mr. Greene is the definition of a man who is strong, and never let anything hold him down. He wept and then he picked himself up and used the tragedy to make the world a better place. I only hope in this week that we can learn from Mr. Greene's attitude on life and spread it and serve this community in an amazing way."
Men's Basketball
Chad Brown
Ceasar De Jesus
Dayon Griffin
Track and Field
Ashton McMurray
Kayla Pritchett
Rowing
Rachael Klunder
Dina Samaan
Women's Tennis
Monica Matias
Natalia Serrano
Women's Basketball
Korneila Wright
Softball
Aubrey Johnson
Men's Tennis
Saitejas Mopuri