By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti ):
After six months of planning, the San Jose State women’s volleyball team travelled over 6,000 miles to Brazil, a country that is home to five of the team members.
Going to Brazil was more than just a business trip with teammates to Giulia Gavio, it was a trip to visit home.
“It was nice to show everyone where we come from,” Gavio said. “The team got to spend time with our families which was really cool.”
The team started their fundraising at the beginning of the Spring 2017 semester and were able to make their fundraising goal just in time for their trip.
From online donation pages to running free clinics, the team gave it their all to ensure those who wanted to go to Brazil got to go.
For senior Jamie Hirai, the fundraising gave the team more than just money, it gave them an opportunity to interact with the San Jose community.
“We did a fundraiser event at San Jose Barbell where people could just come and workout and donate if they wanted to,” Hirai said. “That was a really awesome idea, we interacted with the community, made some money and got to work out.”
The trip to Brazil —a place they don’t visit often due to the busy lifestyle as a student-athlete, gave Gavio and Luiza Andrade the opportunity to show their families what they have been working on while living in America.
“Ever since I started playing, my family has never missed one game, so that was something that I definitely missed a lot coming here,” Andrade said. “It was nice to have my dad there because I used to always look at him right before I would serve so to have him there was really important to me.”
In Brazil, the five natives were able to show the team what they consider home.
“It was nice,” Gavio said. “We usually go to their houses and meet their parents so for them to come to our places was really nice.”
Summer Avery did not feel out of place during her time in Brazil thanks to the help of her teammates showing her around the foreign culture.
“I didn’t necessarily feel like a tourist there, I already felt like it was my home,” Avery said. “It was crazy, I was in a foreign country and I felt at home, there was so much love from the entire community there.”
When they weren’t playing, the team did activities such as visiting tourist attractions, biking, hiking and going to the beach.
“Just spending a lot of time together just off the court brought us a lot closer because we did everything as a whole team,” Avery said. “It was also great to get to know the two new people on our team, I think they easily transitioned to our team.”
While the team did free clinics to raise money, they also ended their trip by doing a free clinic for a public school in Brazil, an experience that resonated with the women.
“It was one of the most amazing things I’ve done in my life,” Andrade said. “Those kids were just so excited to have us there. I think everyone realized how good it is to help people and show them how a sport can lead you to something way bigger than you think it can.”
With the indoor season fast right around the corner, the team members have an even stronger bond that has given them a new sense of what their team is truly about.
