Jackson DiVincenzo: Four Years In The Making

I still remember when I had first heard the news.

It was the summer before my senior year of high school. Birds were chirping, grass was blowing in the wind, and the sky was filled with bright sunshine. Essentially, the opposite of what Cleveland, Ohio looks like most other days.

That summer, things were looking up for me. Especially since my college decision process was right around the corner. That particular day, I had an informational zoom call with the director of a program I had been researching over the past few months. It was a program called Sports Link at a school all the way in Indiana.

Now, the reason I’m saying all this is because I remember this day so vividly. But why? Because this is where Transatlantic Storytelling began for me — four years before the trip actually started.

As a junior in high school, I could only dream of the chance to participate in such an incredible project. It’s not everyday you get to travel overseas to create a full-scale documentary. I remember wondering that same day if I would end up being one of those selected to go on the trip. But after four years of hard work and dedication, I got the opportunity and instantly took it.

So, how did the trip look through my eyes and ears? Get ready, we have a lot to cover!

The only hesitancy I had about the trip were the travel days. I am not a huge fan of being in motion, so the idea of having to travel in buses and planes for hours to get overseas did not exactly appeal to me. However, what I was shocked to have learned was that these moments were actually some of my favorites on the trip.

There’s something that’s so different about going to a packed McDonald’s in Amsterdam at two in the morning. So, in short, the travel days were nothing to worry about. And that’s coming from someone that gets very motion sick!

From there, we finally landed in Cardiff. The second surprise of the trip for me was how at home I felt during my time in the city. The people were so kind, and for some reason I felt like I knew how to navigate around like the back of my hand. I can’t really explain it, but it felt so safe being there from the start.

One of the coolest things I remember was my first night when I walked downtown and saw Cardiff Castle lit up. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I knew from that point forward that things here were going to be special.

Some of the other great experiences we went through were a day trip to the Gower Peninsula (great ice cream there) and our trip to Bath, England. Both of which were absolutely breathtaking locations.

However, the coolest thing about both of those places weren’t the views, at least for me. The coolest thing was the amount of DOGS that were on walks. There were so many dogs, and each one was the cutest one ever. And something about me, I love dogs. So that was great.

Some other great things we did were the sporting events. We ended up going to a Cardiff Devils match, a local rugby match and a few friends and I went to the Cardiff City FC football match. All of which were great experiences that I got to participate in. However, although I loved each and every one of those events, there is one that stood out to me in a big way.

After I returned to the United States, people kept on asking me what my favorite part of the trip was. And to be candid, that is a question I didn’t have to think very hard about. The best part about the entire trip was by far working on my feature story with visually impaired track athlete James Ledger.

The main reason this experience was so great is because of the kind of person James is. He is one of the most resilient people I have ever met, and he inspired me every day when we worked together.

James invited us into his personal life and trusted us from the get go. He even once invited us into his home for my first ever cup of tea! James was incredibly friendly throughout my time working with him, and I even built a true friendship with him by the end of the trip. So much so that our goodbye at the end was difficult, as I did not want to stop being around him.

James has such an inspiring story, and he deserves all the success in the world. I am very grateful and lucky that I got to be part of his journey. That truly does mean so much to me. I can’t wait until I get to show him and the world the amazing product that my co-Producer, Tyler Klimes, and I are going to create!

To sum it all up, my study abroad experience through Transatlantic Storytelling 2024 was everything I knew it would be and more. The memories I made while in another country are ones that I won’t ever forget. There is something so charming about that city, that it may just call me back one day.

When thinking about the events of the trip, I can’t even begin to process the fact that it had been years in the making ever since my junior year of high school. That’s where it all started for me, and the end of the trip is where it finished. But even though it is over, the memories I made during the trip will last forever.

Thank you to all that made this study abroad trip possible, I had such an incredible time!