“Giving Back” in Action: Waid Ibrahim returns to RtD

January 2012

Waid was one of RtD’s first graduates, leaving Ghana in 2004 to attend the prestigious Dunn School in Santa Barbara, CA. However, shortly after arriving in the U.S., a routine medical exam revealed that Waid had a defective right ventricle, a rare condition that threatened to cut short Waid’s football career and potentially his life. Nevertheless, he continued to play on the Dunn School football squad, leading Los Olivos to a state championship, and received a scholarship offer from UCSB to continue his football career.

Through the generous support of the international Right to Dream community, Waid underwent surgery to fit a defibrillator and pacemaker in 2004. Unfortunately, Waid experienced a considerable drop in stamina and endurance after the surgery, leading to diminished playing time in his final years at UCSB. Not surprisingly, his storybook football career had a fitting high note in 2010; in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament vs. Denver, Waid entered during the second overtime and broke a 0-0 tie with a beautiful goal to lead the Gauchos to victory.

Equipped with a university degree, sharp wit, amazing life story and industrious work ethic, Waid had no shortage of job opportunities in the U.S. after graduation. For many Ghanaians, that’s the dream – a life in the U.S., a stable job and comfortable salary. Instead, Waid choose to return to Right to Dream, where he could have a transformative impact on the next generation of Right to Dream student-athletes.

Waid’s triumphant return embodies one of Right to Dream’s core values, a value that rings true in dozens of inspirational quotes posted around the Academy grounds: Giving Back. The Right to Dream staff, coaches, and teachers have always stressed the importance of Giving Back – to one’s family, one’s community, and one’s country. Character-building has been a top priority at Right to Dream since its inception, as demonstrated by the high moral fiber of Waid and many other RtD alumni, but we are now proud to implement a formal Character Development Programme. Starting in January 2012, we have introduced an all-encompassing curriculum that links football, academia and pastoral life to identify and strengthen the following key character traits:

While many of our current student-athletes and graduates demonstrate these core values subconsciously, we aim to build on their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses by understanding these essential traits and why they are the foundations of success. Overseeing the implementation of this new Character Development Programme, COO James Meller sums it up well:  “The students are talented, they have access to a good education, they have great potential.  But it is the strength of their character that will enable them to succeed and fulfill that potential.” Waid Ibrahim is a living, breathing personification of these traits, and we couldn’t be happier to have him back at Right to Dream to lead by example.