Survivor comes to Lander
From indexjournal.com
Reality show winner tells crowd about ultimate character tool
By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal staff writer
“Survivor: Africa” winner Ethan Zohn said selflessness, teaching others, leading by example and being a member of the community were the core values that helped him win one of the most popular reality television shows of all time.
On Tuesday night at Lander University’s Cultural Center Auditorium, Zohn encouraged and challenged more than 100 students and community members to use those same values to help others and make a difference in the world around them.
In his program, “Character: The Ultimate Survival Tool,” Zohn spoke about his experiences during Survivor and his time as a professional soccer player in Africa, and how those experiences helped him find his “true colors.”
“(During Survivor) I was faced with a situation where I was stuck in the middle of Africa with nothing – I was stripped down to nothing,” he said. “It wasn’t until I was without food and water that my true colors came into focus. I was left with my true character values.”
Since his days on “Survivor,” Zohn has been traveling around the country to speak with students and others on how they have the power to help others.
“I want to make it known to all kids that, even if they don’t realize it, they have these tools – character is what counts,” he said, adding that he has been using his “15 minutes of fame” to spread his message. “Bono (from U2) told me that this whole celebrity thing is a bit ridiculous, but it’s currency, and you have to use what you’ve got. You don’t have to have a million dollars to make a difference – everyone has the ability. Find something that makes your heart break, and join an organization to help fix it.”
After winning the $1 million “Survivor” prize, Zohn, drawing on the values he discovered during his stay in Africa, decided to use his new fame and fortune to help raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa and abroad.
In 2002, Zohn helped organize the Zimbabwe-based Grassroot Soccer organization. The nonprofit program aims to train professional soccer players about AIDS and HIV before sending them out into the classrooms to educate children about the diseases.
Zohn’s appearance was sponsored by the Lander Student Government Association, and SGA representative Hannah Nichols said the association felt Zohn’s message was appropriate for students.
“We thought his message was really encouraging. We do AIDS testing here at Lander in the spring, so we thought this would be fitting,” she said. “Character development is something every college student needs.”
Lander senior nursing student Ashleigh Wilson said she thought Zohn’s speech was entertaining and relevant to her academic area.
“It was very interesting to me as a nursing student. We see this in hospitals here, but I didn’t know it affected that many people,” she said.
Lander freshman Lauren Dollar said she was “inspired” after listening to Zohn’s message.
“It’s important for people to see a famous person try to get so involved, and it makes other people more apt to get involved. It really means a lot to get that much money and give it away,” she said. “He really inspired me – I want to go to the Web site to see if I can donate. It’s made me want to go out and do something.”
Judy Wicker, a Newberry resident and former EMT, was also moved by Zohn’s speech. She said that the AIDS epidemic isn’t just something that affects people in Africa or large cities – it also affects people in this region.
“It does affect the area, but it is kept quiet. People just don’t like to talk about it. I was an EMT (in Newberry) for 17 years, and we saw quite a bit of that,” she said. “I hope these young kids got a lot out of his speech, and they go out and do something. I really enjoyed it, and he told me that there are still things I can do even at 62.”