Ethan Zohn, TCI Spring '95
Vassar College, BA in Biology 
Co-Founder, Grassroot Soccer
Winner of SURVIVOR: AFRICA

Before winning one million dollars on Survivor: Africa, Ethan Zohn was a student at the Center for Marine Resource Studies – diving, identifying marine animals, and playing soccer with the community. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Ethan about his time at SFS, his experience on Survivor, and his current work as co-founder of the non profit HIV/AIDS awareness organization Grassroot Soccer.

Studying with SFS on South Caicos: Coral Reefs and the Community

Like many of our students, Ethan chose to study with SFS because he was looking for hands-on, field experience. He had always had a strong interest in marine biology, but he felt that he was not getting the exposure he needed in the classroom. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, he said had access to the ocean every morning, afternoon, and evening. “I've been diving a lot since, but I've never been anywhere as beautiful as that.”

But when I asked Ethan what his most profound or lasting memory was from his time at SFS, he spoke of the people: both his fellow students and the Belongers, the local community members of the Turks and Caicos Islands. One of his favorite memories was celebrating Earth Day with school children by showing them the creatures from the sea. “These kids live on an island, and yet really had no idea what was under the water.” Soccer was a great way to interact with the community too, he remembers. On Sundays, he and several classmates joined in at local pick up games.

Beyond SFS: Soccer and Survivor

After graduation, Ethan moved to Hawaii, seeking work in marine biology. He was volunteering for the local aquarium and working in a youth hostel when he saw an advertisement recruiting players for a professional soccer team. He made the team and began his professional soccer career with the Hawaii Tsunami. Ethan then went on to play for teams in Israel and in Zimbabwe, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa and even lost a friend to the disease.

Next came the opportunity to be a contestant on Survivor: Africa. “You are out there in the environment stripped of everything you are used to. Every part of your body is tested - social, physical, spiritual. It helped me grow as a person.”

No stranger to competition, Ethan was ready with a strategy: to be an evil back-stabbing jerk. Only, it didn't turn out that way. “The beauty of the game is that different characters can win. The way I did it is by making myself part of the community there and getting people to depend on me. I worked hard, and I was a nice guy.”

Grassroot Soccer: How Sports can Save Lives

Soon after winning Survivor, Ethan went to work on a new project: working in collaboration with his former soccer buddies to found Grassroot Soccer. The mission of the organization is “to mobilize the global soccer community in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” Professional soccer players are heroes to many young Africans, and through its unique curriculum, Grassroot Soccer uses soccer players and the game itself to raise awareness about the disease and to teach prevention strategies. Professional players are trained on HIV/AIDS issues and the Grassroot Soccer curriculum, and then they are sent out into the schools to work with African students. By 2010, Ethan projects that one million students will have graduated from the program.

“Taking on such an ambitious project and transforming it from an idea to reality is a long and difficult process. We were just three guys with no experience, but we knew we had a good concept. So, we wrote the curriculum and ran a seven-month pilot program. Afterwards, we re-evaluated the plan. It was a learning experience – getting a board of directors, bylaws, everything.”

“It just takes a few people with a lot of passion about the project. There were plenty of times when we could have stopped, and plenty of reasons: governments, lack of money and so on. But the goal was always in the back of our minds. It's a bit like the scientific process – what is the problem? What is our hypothesis? Now, create the plan. Just like on South Caicos, when we asked the question, how can we work with local fisherman on the issue of over fishing?”

For more info about Grassroot Soccer, check out their website: www.grassrootsoccer.org/