Jorge Zou from Guatemala

Jorge from Guatemala is a visiting student for the 2012-2013 academic year. He has been participating in different community service projects since he came to the UofA. Today, we’d like to share his story about recycling and football experience:

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I received an email from International Student Organization (ISO) and International Students & Scholars office (ISS) of the University of Arkansas that invited students to participate in a volunteer opportunity in which I could help promote awareness about recycling within the community and get a football ticket in the VIP section by doing it. I decided to sign up for this opportunity since I had the chance to get an excellent seat for the first football game by collecting recyclable materials such as cans, bottles, and cardboard during the day of the game.

Getting ready for recycling

For preparation, I was given a t-shirt that had the recycling logo, two plastic bags and a pair of gloves. On game day, along with my friends, I went to the areas where tailgate parties were happening near the stadium. My friends and I approached people by asking for any recyclable materials and shared our bags with those who had their bags full already. After filling all our bags full, my friends and I were very tired but very happy and satisfied because we were able to collect a big amount of recyclable materials. I realized that a lot of recyclable materials would go into trash cans during a football game and a lot of trash is generated because of this. I felt happy while helping the recycling activity because a lot of people from the community appreciated my work. I also thought our activity showed the community that recycling is very important and we need to take care of the environment.

Full of recycling items

After we finished collecting the recyclable materials, I enjoyed watching the game in a great spot along with other members who joined the activity. I was able to closelywatch the very first game of the season for the University of Arkansas and had a great experience in my first football game. At the beginning of the game, we watched the UofA marching band play the National Anthem and the Arkansas Anthem. Later, the players started to enter the field and a lot of cheers started to happen and everyone was calling the Hogs. Being in a football stadium surrounded with 70,000 people was simply incredible. The cheers were going from one side to the other and the stadium was so alive. This was an incredible experience of my lifetime since watching a live football game was so exciting.

Time to call Hogs!

After this experience, I would like to continue to explore the community by learning from others and, at the same time, be a good example for the community. I recommendthat my friends participate in this recycling project for future games. Indeed, I participated in this for the second game and had a great time again!