This week we congratulate Friend of EduSport board member Lyson Zulu on his graduation from Loughborough. He tells us his story…

We all want to find our way one day, whatever that may be. Some may take a little longer than others but we hope and look forward to the day when we can say, till all at last. Many years later, a boy inside me cries to find the path that he long had promised to. To get an education! My mama used to tell me, education is the key to success. In 2005 when I was finishing high school, I remember talking to one of my good friends Joseph about how I was going to graduate with a degree in the next five years. Funny enough I remember it like it was yesterday. It sounded impossible back then but I was determined to prove that.

My journey to pursuing a career in sport started back in 2002 when I went to Sweden to play in the World Youth Gothia Cup and the following year to Norway for the Norway Cup, since then I have never looked back. I was sure I wanted to play football at a decent level, but my mum’s message remained with me, so I also wanted to get an education to go with it.  In 2007 after being involved with the UK Sport IDEALS project I was given a scholarship to study at the University of Bath in England, something I would never have dreamt of.

Life at Bath University 

During my first two years of studying at the University of Bath, I faced some challenges with some of the modules, I had to work extra hard to pass in them which was difficult to balance with training, mentoring and my engagements with Friend of Edusport. However with the support of my friends I managed to successfully complete the Foundation Degree in Sport Development. In striking a balance between my football and my education, the university supported me to get the best out of both. With my mentor Nicky Fossy Lewis, being a lifestyle manager, she advised on how I could balance the two and manage all the other issues such as diet, social and made time for workshop deliveries. This is something I hope to support young athletes in Zambia to achieve.

In 2008, I was part of the Bath team that won the BUSA University Championships (see photo). A great journey with lots of memories of how every member of the team worked hard to win that trophy. Something prestigious for the university, but most importantly WE all felt a sense of accomplishment.

In 2009, I graduated with a Foundation degree from University of Bath but I really wanted to get a full degree which meant I needed one more year at university. Unfortunately, Bath football went down and there was no funding for me to complete my degree. In times like these, my true friends supported me to achieve the dream I had. The friend of Edusport team, Emily Reynolds, Derek Keir, Oscar Mwaanga, Fiona Campbell and  Rona McIntosh to mention a few did everything in their power to see me achieve my dream and I can’t thank them enough for that.

Aside from this, I continued to support the work of EduSport and delivered workshops in a number of schools; supported fundraising events; assisted at conferences educating UK students prior to working on the African continent; supported the Youth Sport Trust ‘Step into Sport’ Leadership and Volunteering Program; worked as a mentor to BMAE students undertaking their GCSEs, returned to Zambia on the UK Sport IDEALS project, attended a European Non Governmental Sports Conference in Paris ‘Give Youth a Real Say in Sport’ as a representative of the Youth Sport Trust. All of these experiences allowed me to gain an insight into the wider world of sports development which I hope to take back with me to the work I undertake in Zambia, but also I was able to share the experiences of working in my home community at Kalingalinga Zambia as a peer leader.

On to Loughborough

Loughborough College fortunately provided me with the next stage of my education through a Scholarship. I started at Loughborough in September 2009 and immediately settled in with Edgar Musonda, a fellow Zambian on my course and lived in the same flat with me. Whilst at Loughborough, I had the privilege of playing for the University first team in the league on Saturdays in which we finished mid table. Loughborough meant more training as I played games on Wednesday and Saturday but it was all great fun as we had such a wonderful team.

Graduation

September 7th 2011 was my graduation which was attended by Emily Reynolds and Nicky Fossy Lewis, the two people that played a major role to my coming to the UK in 2007. It was a great day as I was awarded my certificate. It was like the end and yet the beginning of a new chapter of my life. Friend of Edusport as a charity have supported me throughout my stay in the UK, and I am very proud to be a board member.
Currently, I am working at the Olympic Youth Development Centre as a technical coordinator and health and education facilitator. My role involves designing programmes to help the young athletes achieve their fullest potential on and off the field of play. In addition I am continuing to support Friend of Edusport and am in the process of planning a mentoring programme to support the peer leaders that are currently receiving sponsorship from FoE.

To bring this report to a close, I would like to leave you with a quote that was read out during my Graduation by the President of Loughborough College, Jim Mutton:

“Success is a journey, not a destination. No matter how long you live or what you decide to do in life, you will never exhaust your capacity to grow toward your potential or run out of opportunities to help others. When you see success as a journey, you'll never have the problem of trying to "arrive" at an elusive final destination. And you'll never find yourself in a position where you have accomplished some final goal, only to discover that you're still unfulfilled and searching for something else to do”

By Lyson Zulu 

Our heartfelt congratulations also go to Annie Namukanga, who also graduated with Lyson this week!