The Champions Interns' Journey to Guatemala

Finally, a enjoyable flight. The interns meet another nonprofit worker, Jennie, on the flight to Guatemala. Matt talks with her at length about her work, and he tells her about Champions as well.

Sara and Stephanie drove from Bowling Green to Detroit to catch their Thursday morning flight with JD to Ft. Lauderdale.

JD drove from Ravenna to Detroit to catch the early morning flight from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale with Sara and Stephanie.

Sara and Stephanie are both from Bowling Green, Ohio.

Sara and JD graduated from Bowling Green State University in May 2012, and Stephanie is currently a sophomore there (though she's taking this semester off).

Matt arrived in Austin in 2007 to attend The University of Texas at Austin (hook 'em Horns!). In May 2012, he graduated. He had every intention of staying in Austin, until one day he received an email from Laura Mallonee asking him if he'd be interested in an internship with a nonprofit organization in Guatemala. The rest is (ongoing) history. He spent the fall working at an advertising agency, and after the New Year, he packed up and prepared for his move to Guate.

After New Year, Matt moved back to his mom's house in his hometown of Coppell, where he spent some time with friends, aunts, uncles and cousins in the days leading up to the move. In the early morning of Jan. 30, he left for the airport.

JD's hometown is Ravenna, Ohio. 

Sara, Stephanie and JD drive to and meet in Detroit on Thursday, and they catch their early morning flight to Ft. Lauderdale.

Matt arrives in Orlando, where he spends a couple hours for a layover. He has now been "traveling" for 13 hours.

Matt arrives in Ft. Lauderdale at 11 p.m. — 17 hours into his journey. He proceeds downstairs to claim his luggage and find a nice airport chair to sleep in. At 2:30 a.m., he wakes up to a call from two of his best friends, Paige and Jared Becker, who live in Seattle, where it is 11:30 p.m. He enjoys a half-hour conversation with them, and then sleeps for another hour or so before getting up to go check in for his next flight. He wasn't alone in his airport slumber. As he got out of his chair-bed, he tiptoed around the many other bodies catching a few precious Z's on the airport floor. The check-in goes well. As he walks to the gate, he reflects on his trip, which, with the exception of missing his first flight, has been miraculously free of complication. He has been traveling for 24 hours.

At 9 a.m., Sara, Stephanie and JD arrive in Ft. Lauderdale. They know nothing about Matt's missed flight,and they certainly don't expect to see him in the terminal as they wait to board their next plane. Matt sneaks up, says hello, and gives Sara a hug. They're meeting him in person for the first time. Incredulity quickly gives way to laughter and happy introductions. The four board their plane and embark on the last leg of their journey.

Matt's fiasco begins. Thanks in part to a wrong turn that took him halfway around this airport (whose land area, mind you, exceeds that of Manhatten Island), he misses his 6 a.m. flight. Initially, ticket agents tell him that the next flight to Guatemala won't be available until four days later. After a mild meltdown and half a dozen phone calls, he returns to the ticket counter. By this time, the morning rush has ended, and one of the ticket agents, Leigh, spends a long time pulling strings and crafting a creative solution to get him out of DFW and down to Guatemala by Thursday afternoon. Much better. However, what would have been a six-hour journey will now be a 30-hour journey. Matt thanks Leigh as sincerely as he knows how, and then proceeds to gate E26, where he sits and waits for his late afternoon flight to Orlando. Eight hours and three and a half naps later, he boards his first plane.

At about 1 p.m., all four interns arrive safely in Guatemala City, where Joe Jakubowski and José Méndez pick them up. Matt concludes his 31-hour journey.

At long last, the interns arrive at their new home!