By: Josh Hildebrand

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As a high school student, Ivan Jorel packed his bags and left his home country of Cameroon, Africa, for France. Five short months later, Jorel would pack his bags once more to leave France for the United States, specifically Harrisburg, Pa.

Eight years later, Jorel is closing on his final weeks as a Dutchman and looking forward to new opportunities.

Jorel, who competed on the men's soccer and swim teams, is finishing his bachelor's degree in physics. He was part of the soccer team's Division III Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships team in 2017, and returned for an extra season after losing 2020 to the pandemic.

"In Cameroon, soccer is almost viewed as a religion," Jorel said. "Soccer has been part of my lifestyle for as long as I can remember."

Swimming, meanwhile, is relatively new for Jorel. Before joining the swim team, he could not swim. Mary Gardner, the swim team head coach, observed Jorel's friends teaching him how to swim and promised to teach him herself if he joined the team.

"Coach Mary is the nicest person I've met since I have been at LVC," Jorel said. "I did accept her offer and have been swimming since my first year."

Jorel learned about LVC through his high school soccer coach, who also coached on the Dutchmen staff and encouraged a visit.

"I saw the bonds and interactions between the players and coaches," Jorel said. "I knew LVC was the place where I would go to school and compete on the team."

Jorel has enjoyed the mutual learning environment as a member of two LVC sports teams. He relished the opportunity to hear the experiences of his teammates while sharing some of his own during his youth in Cameroon.

"I loved to share stories with my teammates about how soccer was played in Cameroon compared to here," he said. "Some are surprised when I tell them most athletes there limit the use of weight and gym for exercises. They tend to focus more on fitness and the use of body weight rather than actual weights."

While Jorel's love of soccer was certain, his choice of major was not. Initially unsure, but grounded by his interest in science and numbers, he chose physics. The combination of his two favorite subjects attracted Jorel.

"Some of my best academic experiences involve building and experimenting in the physics lab," Jorel said. "Learning new topics and putting them to the test is always exciting."

Post-graduation, Jorel seeks to find a job in the engineering field. He also desires to expand his horizons by traveling around the world. He is grateful to his coaches, teammates, and the LVC community for their support during his journey.

"I doubt I would have been able to get to this point with all the obstacles I faced," Jorel said. "LVC provided me an amazing community, resources, and lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my journey."