Louis Uses Christmas Break to Inspire Students

Courtesy UCA Athletics Department

UCA midfielder Elia Louis spoke to a class of twenty-five refugee students at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, Vermont on December 19, 2012. He was joined by his cousin, Patrice Lumumba, who recently completed his senior season as the all time leading scorer for Lyndon State College. Both Louis and Lumumba were former Edmunds students, attending the middle school upon their arrival in the United States as refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the summer of 2004. 

The topic of their address was what it was like to be student athletes at the college level. Their message was hard work and perseverance. They spoke of their experience starting in the middle school, where they spoke no English when they first arrived. The pair spoke for about 45 minutes and answered students’ questions. The students were impressed with their speech and were glad to see that these two have been successful in their passion for soccer balanced with academic pursuits.

Louis said, “It was awesome to go in and talk to these kids and just try to open up their minds a little bit to something they are committed to (school). The opportunity of being able to motivate students to be successful is something that I felt I could do to give back to the community. I never had the experience of older African students talking to me with advice of how to make it in school. I think it is important for refugee students to hear encouragement from others who have worked hard and been able to both study at the college level and play varsity sports.”