I was recently invited by the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation to to participate in a tribute commemorating Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 95th birthday this October. This is what I shared.

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It was my 27th birthday — March 19, 2017. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife, Leah, were coming on board the MV World Odyssey to speak with students and faculty members during our stay in Cape Town. When I heard the Arch and Leah were coming on board, I was immediately filled with joy. Many years before, when I was first a student on Semester at Sea in 2009, he had recorded a video played at our voyage graduation celebration when we arrived in our last port of San Diego and our families were invited to come on board. I always had such an admiration for him and his lifelong pursuit of freedom, compassion, joy, and good things for all people. I finally had a chance to meet him in person and thank him for all that he stands for and all that he has done for the world. 

The number of entries for students and faculty on our large vessel was limited. At first, I didn’t know if I would have the chance to meet one of my greatest idols. I worked in the field office of Semester at Sea, and there were only three of us managing field programs on this voyage. We were allotted just two tickets for our small office. Our field director, who was retired and had sailed previously, generously gifted the two tickets to my other colleague and me — a selfless act that I still remember and appreciate to this day.

When I then found out I would be meeting the Arch and Leah on my birthday itself, I was over the moon! One of the things that amazed me the most about the Arch is that, despite enduring such struggle and hardship in his life, he still arrived with a smile and a heartfelt compassion you could feel as soon as he entered the room. Everyone around him instantly felt at home. Our exchange was warm and conversation light. I thanked him, and he wished me happy birthday. It was a meeting I’ll never forget. 

For as long as I have known of him, I have appreciated his unflappable dedication to education. For many years, he was involved in Semester at Sea and impacting the lives of voyagers sailing around the world. As college students from all walks of life, many of us were still very young in our global education when we first sailed with the program. Seeing him show up in my Semester at Sea experiences as a student in 2009 and then again as a staff member year later in 2017 showed his continuous and unwavering commitment to not just our study abroad program, but education itself. He was a champion for global learning and international understanding. He was a significant part of both of my Semester at Sea experiences. And his teachings have become a part of my life.