Alberto González Güitrón, 2014
A Sprout participant once told me, “You must be in your twenties, you’re young… So, why don’t you just eat ice cream everyday?” And I honestly couldn’t think of a good reason not to follow his advice. That’s when I understood the magic that has made us all fall in love with this great cause. Because, in reality, I never found a good reason to constrain myself at all during a Sprout trip.
I’m Alberto González Güitrón, I’m Mexican. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and started my career as a sports journalist/tv presenter. My dream was to become an NFL announcer and broadcast the Super Bowl one day… until I 
discovered Sprout. I read about the organization online and I thought it was a great opportunity to do something good for this world and try to find connections in New York. I quit my job, booked a flight and embarked in a journey that changed my life forever.
I spent 6 months going on more than 20 trips. During that time, I met amazing co-leaders, visited beautiful places I hadn’t even heard of, had fantastic experiences and made lifelong friends. But what I will always remember is how some participants made me feel; they gave me the freedom to be myself without worrying about what people might think; I knew I could talk about anything and not be judged by my accent; I was certain I could hug anyone, anytime, anywhere with no awkwardness whatsoever; I could sing with my horrible voice and they would still think it sounded great; we could have gone to the worst restaurant and have the best dinner ever; I could dance in the middle of the street and they would join; I could eat ice cream everyday and it would be a perfectly normal thing to do.
I came back to Sprout the following year for 7 more months and I want to return as many times as my schedule lets me. In the end, I’m still in my twenties and I can do whatever I want. I hope to bring that attitude with me to my thirties, forties, fifties, etc., and live life as if I was on a Sprout trip. Without worrying about what people may think.
It’s funny, I thought I was going to do something good for Sprout participants… and they ended up doing something great for me. I still love American football and if there is someone reading this, willing to give me a job in the NFL, I would still take it. However, now I aim to do something more meaningful with my life. Sprout taught me that there is much more than my selfish goals, there are humans willing to share their lives with me, humans who will remind me that no matter what I do, it’s always a good time to have ice cream.
