July 2011 Update

Hello friends,

The school year ended with bang as NBC 10 Sports Director and former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema shared stories of his personal life journey with students. He talked about what it was like immigrating to the United States with English being his second language and his father’s dream for him to become a professional boxer. Students heard about love, commitment, and perseverance as he spoke about the opportunity to play college and then professional football. Check out this and other events at www.theyouthalliance.com or www.sjya.com.

Vai S. Sikahema was born August 29, 1962 in Nukualofa, Tonga.  The first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League (NFL), he played running back and kickoff returner for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1993. He played college football for the Brigham Young University Cougars, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) in the tenth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring after the 1993 season. Since retiring, he has served as Sports Director for WCAU, the NBC owned-and-operated station in Philadelphia, where he has been since 1994.  Vai is also devoting his time as a motivational speaker with The Youth Alliance, sharing in our passion to empower others to be leaders.