Margaret Chang ’09

Margaret majored in Global Studies and Chinese Studies. At PLU Margaret studied in China for 2 semesters, for a January-term in China and did a second January term class in Western Europe, and visited Tibet, Taiwan and Thailand. Growing up with a passion for playing team sports such as soccer and basketball, sports, exercise and health have always been an important aspect of her daily life. At PLU she also began to discover enjoyment in outdoor recreation including rock climbing and mountaineering. For five months in 2008-09 Margaret and Matt Kennedy were outdoor recreation guides in China. There they talked about Matt’s summer 2007 work in Uganda where he created, developed, and implemented the Empowerment Soccer Program in Namuwongo, an urban slum less than 2 miles from Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Their thoughts soon drifted toward going together to Uganda to grow the Empowerment Soccer Program. While cycling through Vietnam and Cambodia in January and February 2009, she received an e-mail from Matt saying “Uganda is for real.” Margaret was immediately on board with this project that uses sport to help make a difference for people who suffer from poverty and disease. From April-July 2009, she and Matt implemented the 2nd Annual Empowerment Soccer Program Her experiences in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Uganda have influenced her interest in becoming a Physical Therapist. Currently she is taking the first step and is in school to become a Physical Therapist Assistant, with eventual plans to become a PT and to continue to travel and find meaningful projects that encompass health, fitness and sports around the world.