SAC Student Travelling to Qatar for Sports Forum
Posted: November 1, 2012
Grade 12 student, Aaron DeGagne, is going on a very exciting adventure. In December, he will travel to Qatar to attend the Doha GOALS (Gathering of all Leaders in Sport) Forum. Competition was fierce as university students, MBA candidates and high school seniors from around the globe applied for attendance. It’s the chance of a lifetime, and Aaron was only one of 20 students chosen from the Wharton Sports Business Academy (WSBA).
Aaron has his eye on finding a job in the sports industry, which led him to attend the WSBA at the University of Pennsylvania this past July. “During this program, I had the opportunity to study sports business leadership with numerous business professors,” Aaron explains. High school juniors and seniors were given the opportunity to learn about ownership, sports agents, and celebrity endorsements. The group visited Lincoln Financial Field, USTA Billie Jean King Center, Underarmour headquarters, and Wells Fargo Center. Guest speakers to this academy included sports agents and representatives from the NCAA. “It was an amazing experience,” he recalls.
It was during this three-week-long course that Aaron learned about Doha GOALS. He submitted his application in October and soon found out he would be attending. “I was really excited when I found out I was accepted,” he said. And as luck would have it, all of Aaron’s costs are fully-funded by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar.
The goal of this forum is to create initiatives for global progress through sport. Leaders and stakeholders from around the world, such as CEOs, government officials, athletes, NGOs, federation heads, urban developers, coaches, managers, and medical experts, are working as agents for change.
Participants are driven by the dialogue of sport and how sports bring together individuals, cities, countries and corporations. The intent of this two-and-a-half-day forum, taking place from Dec. 10-12, is to create a roadmap for social and economic improvement through sport and to implement cross-border initiatives.
Aaron will participate in a variety of plenary sessions, debates and taskforces with some of the most influential people in sports and business, such as Olympic track and field star, Carl Lewis, and Paralympic medalist, Oscar Pistorius.
Stay tuned for more on Aaron’s adventure to the Doha GOALS Forum in Qatar.
Story by Nicolette Fleming
