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LOS ANGELES – On August 24, 2016, the UCLA women's basketball team took a day off from sightseeing and spent a day at Djarragun College. Djarragun College believes that an excellent education is the foundation for a great life. The school is made up of islander or aboriginal students in an age range from 5-16. While many of their students embrace the opportunities of further education, many find their path through training and employment. Djarragun also has a trade program that is designed with the future workplace in mind where students can learn at school and on the job with one of their many employment partners.
Senior guard Nicole Kornet wrote a blog exclusively for UCLABruins.com on the Bruins' visit and how it impacted her and the UCLA women's basketball team and coaching staff.
Let me set the record straight -- 10 days in Australia, four games, three cities, one goal -- have fun. I can honestly say that goal was accomplished as soon as my 12 teammates and I heard our first "authentic" Australian accent (sorry Chrissy Baird, yours doesn't count).
Aside from our days full of planes, busses, and boats to the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, and a myriad of tropical, indigenous zoos, day five of our trip was dedicated to visiting a local "college" outside of the city. Instead of snorkeling or zip lining above a crocodile pit, we decided to do something a little different that day.
Let me break it down for you.
Step 1: Dance
As soon as we stepped off the bus we were greeted with smiles. We filed into a classroom and memories of pencil lead, privacy folders and grade school love triangles filled the air. After a short tutorial on how the school ran, where the students came from and what the school provides, a couple of current students provided a few words of wisdom.
"At this school, we dance."
In the Aboriginal culture, dancing is ingrained into their souls at a young age. Therefore, we decided to give it a whirl. Let's just say there's a reason why we play basketball instead.
The Bruins learned an indigenous sitting dance at Djarragun College today! #BruinsDownUnder pic.twitter.com/nyHKOX5sia
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) August 24, 2016
Step 2: Play
After dancing, we were told to head out to the basketball courts. Kids from all ages filed in. Right off the bat, Miss Kelli Hayes was a huge hit. This girl was a hit for a reason ... she's special. She pours her heart and soul into all that she does, and people remember that ... they feel that.
We were told that the suicide rate at this school was disturbingly high. Many students are separated from their brothers, sisters, parents, and childhood friends in order to make it to a school like the one I am describing, like the one we visited. Loneliness is a big factor, but shame is an even bigger one. Students walk with their heads down, fearing failure, while running from confrontation. Not many receive individual attention athletically, especially young girls. So, with the help of my 12 teammates and coaching staff alike, it was our turn to do just that.
Kari Korver & @Paulinahersler works w/ some students from Djarragun College on shooting mechanics! #BruinsDownUnder pic.twitter.com/MCZBLlL1dC
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) August 24, 2016
Step 3: Love
For me, watching these kids light up as they sang with Lajahna Drummer, laugh with Kelli Hayes, or played with Monique Billings' braids, paled in comparison to the transformation I saw right before my eyes. It was the way these kids seemed to lose themselves in pure bliss for a brief 15-minute recess period. We didn't come with the intention to change a life, but I'm almost positive we did. They let themselves go, and we were right there to catch them.
Coach Cori Close's face said it best. She couldn't hold back the water works for more than five minutes at a time. Remember when I told you they don't make many like Kelli Hayes? Add Cori Close to that list, too. She loves with all she has, and these kids had no choice but to accept it. Although it was our job to come in for the day and help out, I feel as if the helping came from somewhere else, or rather, someone else.
At the end of a few hours, we all huddled together to say our last goodbyes. Coach Close was up to bat to bid her final farewell, and you guessed it, tears. The funny thing about love is that it comes at all times, in all shapes, and all sizes -- no prejudice, nothing warranted, all from the heart. We devoted a day to love, and love did what love does best: inspire, impact, fulfill and transform.
Thank you Djarragun School for allowing us to love you. Because of you, our hearts our changed and our minds are cleansed. Because of you, we'll return to the states with a little more faith in the tank, and a little more hope for the future. People like you give people like us someone to look up to. No matter how tall, no matter how small, no matter how young, no matter how old, love shows, love grows and there's no limit that can contain where this love goes.