About Meghan Mahoney

This is how Meghan is a Changemaker:
I am a changemaker because I refuse to acknowledge limitation and I do my best to enter those situations which make me most uncomfortable. Whether taking small steps for women's sports every time I take the ice with a mens hockey team or spending a year at Sport in Society as an Americorps*VISTA I see it is my duty to push myself and push the world.

The place for which Meghan feels a fondness or connection:
I will forever hold a place in my heart for New Zealand. I was fortunate enough to receive a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to carry out a self-designed research project entitled "Life Without Title IX: The International Development of Women's Ice Hockey." As a hockey player, I was welcomed with open, loving arms into the sport's small community. Although I could never before see myself as a "recreational" player, my experience in NZ taught me that sport is indeed more about one's personal experience and growth more than competition. What I came to realize, however, is that this sense of fun and play is not limited to the ice rink - it is an aspect of Kiwi culture. They are active. They are vibrant. They are healthy. They believe in living the good life. And it was hard to leave. My sporting experience was therefore an example of how, through sport one can cut across cultural and linguistic barriers to tap into the essence of humanity - a lesson I relearned in each country to which I traveled. And, in addition to its magnificent people, NZ also holds what I see as some of the earth's greatest beauty. The movies do not do its beauty justice - it is a seemingly untainted land, with breathtaking, varied landscapes that awe you time and again. It is impossible not to take advantage of such beauty - whether you drive through the country side, bike through the mountains, or hike over glaciers, New Zealand is truly nature's playground and a place where God's glory emanates from its landscape.

The change Meghan passionately wants to happen:
As a result of my upbringing, my study of humanities, my interest in philosophical religion and my experience in sport, I am unable to look at the world and see it as anything but one united structure. I verily believe that all world conflicts, at their very core, arise from little more than miscommunication and misunderstanding. Were we to educate youth to world leaders in compassionate understanding, I mean really take the energy to do so, we would see a transformation of civilization. Violent conflicts are prevented when one sees oneself in the other, it is that much easier to reach out to help another, and even the environment would benefit from realizations that we play a role in its sustainability. Sport is an ideal example of how when we put people on an "even playing field" justice is achieved, team work is developed, communication blossoms and, most importantly fun is had. I want to see this understanding and justice achieved in all aspects of life.