This year has been an incredible one for TGP. Much of the credit for that has to go to our two wonderful Global Health Corps fellows, Ruvimbo “Groovy Roovy” Mushavi and Sahaan “Soz” Sozhamannan. With the help of their leadership, we revamped our curriculum, hosted our first-ever Grassroots Gala, instituted brand new parent programming, created the master trainer summer internship, and partnered with other community health-focused organizations to make an even bigger difference in our city. We so appreciate their tireless hard work and constant positive attitudes, and we will miss them very much next year! We can’t wait to see what these two will accomplish in the years to come.
We interviewed our two awesome fellows one last time as they looked back on their experiences with TGP. They told us about what lessons they learned and their favorite memories, along with a few fun facts about themselves, and gave some advice to the next TGP fellows.
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Ruvimbo Mushavi
What is your Grassroots nickname? Why?
My Grassroots nickname is Groovy Roovy. It’s something a college friend of mine used to call me. PLUS, I love music and I love to dance so it fits perfectly!
What’s your favorite Grassroots game?
My favorite Grassroots Game has to be HIV Attacks! It gives you a lot of information in just 20 minutes and I always have a lot of fun playing it. I will say though that I’m starting to love Fact/Nonsense after the adjustments that were made to make it super active and competitive while very informative.
Fun/Interesting/Random fact about yourself.
I’ll go with random – When I was younger, I begged my parents to change my name to Sarah – don’t ask me why. I’m so glad they said no because now you couldn’t pay me enough to change my name.
What preconceptions did you have coming into the fellowship? How did those change throughout your time with TGP?
As one of the few people who started the fellowship right out of college, I was really nervous about not being taken as seriously as other fellows who have Masters’ degrees or multiple years of work experience. My experience at TGP really helped me silence those fears because the work environment really encouraged me to share my ideas and opinions openly and feel like I was being listened to regardless of my age. In fact, being young gave me a slight advantage as I was able to relate to our student-athlete volunteers and build a strong bond with them as their program manager.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned throughout the past year with TGP?
As a former student-athlete, I truly treasured being on a team with people who had the same goals as I did (which more often than not was to win). At TGP, I didn’t necessarily relearn how to be on a team, but my belief in working as a team was reinforced. I learned that even in a work environment, things go much smoother when you work as a team, relying on one another for support and approaching difficulties as a united front. That is a lesson I will never forget.
What is the strangest fact that you learned while working with TGP?
In the United States, medical male circumcision, though widely practiced, is not often encouraged as a means to reduce the chances of contracting HIV. When we traveled to South Africa to take part in the Master Trainer Program led by GrassrootSoccer, we learned a lot about medical male circumcision and how it reduces the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men by almost 60%, which is huge!
What is your favorite memory from the past year?
I have plenty of favorite memories, but if I had to pick only one, I would say it was the Grassroots Gala. So much work went into the planning of this event (HUGE shout-out to Jane “J-Dub” Wallis), and it turned out so well despite the fact that it was the very first time TGP has hosted a fundraising gala. I look forward to seeing it become an annual event.
What are you going to miss the most?
I’m going to miss the overall work environment fostered by TGP. We all worked so hard but always remembered to have fun and take breaks when necessary – be it by playing a game or two of ping pong or taking a walk to buy some lunch or coffee together. I think that kind of work culture is one of a kind and I would be lucky to ever feel as free as I did working there.
Where is your favorite place in DC? / Where did you spend the most time while you were here?
White House Deli – no joke. It has the best breakfast sandwiches and it is super affordable especially because I was always on a tight budget given our fellowship stipend life.
What advice do you have for the incoming fellows?
Embrace the opportunities that come your way whether at TGP or GHC as a whole. It is easy to get jaded by your day-to-day responsibilities. If there is a meeting or conference you are interested in, try to make some time to go. If there is a training that sounds exciting and may be relevant to your work or future career, sign yourself up. Keep things interesting for yourself. I would also encourage you to be as social as possible. We are fortunate to come in with a whole network of new friends because of the fellowship, but don’t be afraid to explore DC and meet even more new people from diverse backgrounds.
What’s next for you?
I plan on going to Graduate School or Law School. The big question is where, but I’m yet to figure that out.
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Sahaan Sozhamannan
What is your Grassroots nickname? Why?
My Grassroots nickname is Soz because my students used to call me Soz when I was a teacher! Hence, I am not very creative and just went with an old nickname some youths gave me.
What’s your favorite Grassroots game?
Easily HIV Attacks. It breaks down difficult biology in a fun way and I love how excited the kids (and athletes) get playing it.
Fun/Interesting/Random fact about yourself.
My fashion and taste in music never grew out of the late 90s/ early 2000s.
What preconceptions did you have coming into the fellowship? How did those change throughout your time with TGP?
I think I assumed that a lot of community-based organizations constantly collaborate and work together when they serve overlapping populations, but that such collaborative efforts sometimes do not happen regardless of the desire due to many funding limitations and high turnover rates.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned throughout the past year with TGP?
Be persistent and don’t be shy. Collaborative relationships are formed from a lot of effort, but are 100% worth it and make this work so much more enjoyable.
What is the strangest fact that you learned while working with TGP?
That Tyler actually went to UVA.
What is your favorite memory from the past year?
Watching our high school interns, Jashea and Artana lead their own meetings with community providers. Seeing their progression throughout the year has been amazing, and such a testament to their intelligence and work ethic.
What are you going to miss the most?
Community meetings and getting to just talk with so many people in DC about the similar work they are doing. Also, working with our amazing high school interns (Jashea and Artana).
Where is your favorite place in DC? / Where did you spend the most time while you were here?
I have a few. I love the Brightwood area (where my place was) and the friends I made that lived there. Marvin on a Monday is the place to be. And Capitol One Arena for Wizards games, as I have been going down to Chinatown for that since I was little.
What advice do you have for the incoming fellows?
Value your own experience. Learn as much as you can from the athletes. And get to know the people of the communities we work with, they will embrace you like only true DC natives can!
What’s next for you?
Hopefully working with an organization focused on youth development/ adolescent violence prevention (both community-based violence and sexual violence).
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Did you miss our blog last week introducing our new Global Health Corps fellows? Read it here!
