Former ‘Survivor’ winner Ethan Zohn visits UIndy
Emmanuel Casillas
Staff Writer
The University of Indianapolis welcomed speaker, celebrity, humanitarian, former professional soccer player and 2001 season of CBS “Survivor” winner Ethan Zohn to campus Feb. 6 to speak about what makes good character and leadership as part of UIndy’s Leadership series.
A former reality show contestant may not ring ‘great character’ at first, but Zohn showed just that.
According to Zohn his mother gave him advice on how to win the show and he was one of the only winners never to receive a vote against him.
“My mother [told] me, ‘Ethan you don’t need to win this game [by] lying, cheating and stabbing people in the back,’ and I proved it,” Zohn said. “What matters is what you do when the cameras stop rolling.”
Zohn began his speech by telling the crowd about being born and reared in Lexington, Massachusetts, and his passion for soccer.
He even showed the audience a trailer of the “Survivor”season in which he was featured along with a re-working of an‘N Sync song all about him.
Prior to his competing on “Survivor,” Zohn had already lived in Zimbabwe for a year as part of the Highlanders football team, but he described one moment during “Survivor” that inspired him to take up a particular cause.
Coupled with a clip from the show that captured the event, Zohn talked about how he came across a band of children in a hospital parking lot, when he was allowed some time off from the show. He brought out his hacky sack (a small bean bag used to play with on the feet), the only item he could bring from home, and played with the children.
Later, when he found out that they were there because they were HIV-positive patients, he was so moved he said he learned what true survival was all about. He gladly gave his hacky sack away to one of the children. It was at that moment Zohn decided that he would use his potential prize money to help such children any way he could.
He used his $1 million prize to establish the Grassroots Soccer Organization (he is co-founder) a charity that teaches AIDS awareness and prevention through soccer.
According to the Website, (www.grassrootsoccer.org) the goals of the GRS are to put 1.25 million African youth through the GRS program by 2010 and leave a lasting legacy in southern Africa, to utilize soccer and powerful role models to their maximum potential to reduce HIV transmission among youth, and to have the most effective HIV prevention education and life-skills curriculum program in Africa.
Zohn spoke on the plight of many Africans’ faced with an AIDS pandemic sweeping the continent, and showed a clip from a documentary film called “A Closer Walk.”
The clip featured an eight-year- old girl suffering immensely from the disease. Zohn said that he intentioned for the film to try and motivate his audience to take up a cause themselves and fight for what they believe in.
“You guys are the future leaders of this world. You have the power to give people hope. You don’t have to be a ‘Survivor’ to do it. Everyone’s got it in them right now,” he said.
According to Executive Director of Student Services Dan Stoker, who organized the event, Zohn had a good message.
“He had a very laid back attitude that the students could relate to, which was nice to see. He was somebody who didn’t completely have it all figured out. He had some opportunities that came up in his life, and he was able to do something in order to further his passion,” Stoker said.
After he finished speaking, Zohn met with a crowd of people requesting pictures and autographs, and some who simply wanted to shake his hand and to thank him for his passion and authenticity.
His a reception like that there is no question that Zohn accomplished his goal that night, for they may not be making regular treks to Africa, but they certainly did leave with a new sense of self.
Zohn is still doing charity events and television and still making regular trips to Africa.
