Guest post by Gabrielle Sutton
Mambuna Bojang ’96 was “born and bred in the community of Gunjur.” When Transylvania University offered him a soccer scholarship, he took it — by fall 1992, he was a part of Transy’s family. Like many alumni, Bojang’s favorite part about being a Pioneer was “the close-knit community that the school offers.” He now works in the IT department at Transy as the technology support coordinator.
To support and represent these two communities that made a positive impact on his life, Bojang became involved in graciously donating soccer equipment, jerseys and Transylvania athletic T-shirts to several soccer camps in West Africa. These include donating jerseys to the athletics club in Gunjur and a soccer team in Manjai, along with basketballs and volleyballs to Brikama.
Bojang made his most recent donation of Transylvania athletic T-shirts to Jatta’s Academy — a soccer academy in West Africa that provides personal and team training for young children through young adults — in his native village of Gunjur in Gambia.
Bojang felt driven to donate these T-shirts because of his understanding as a former soccer player in bringing uniformity among the academy. He also understands the importance of uniformity so that the kids feel good about themselves.
When asked about his favorite part of donating to Jatta’s Academy, Bojang said, “I want to give the kids the opportunity and environment I did not have growing up. As kids, we played soccer bare-footed and had no proper uniforms. Giving these T-shirts and other gear to the academy brought smiles upon the kid’s faces. It’s a form of engaging and encouraging the kids.”
About the author: Gabrielle Sutton is a Transylvania student currently working in the Office of Marketing and Communications.