By Hickman senior Brady Wirth made a life-changing mission trip to Nicaragua in 2015. It taught him three things: never give up, don’t take privileges for granted and don’t expect “things” to make you happy.
His group took on the challenge of constructing a drainage ditch so the community school wouldn’t flood every time it rained. It meant digging a 60-foot ditch by hand and accidentally breaking a sewer pipe that wasn’t supposed to be there three times. “This was probably one of the most frustrating projects I have ever taken part in. As soon as we started getting some work done, something bad would happen that set us back for hours,” wrote Brady.
But the group persevered and succeeded. What made it most worthwhile — beyond saving the school — was the realization that despite the adversity the Nicaraguan people faced, they were happy because of their friends and families. “The little kids in Nicaragua played soccer on a dirt field, with a ripped up ball, and two rocks for a goal — and I have never seen kids happier than they were. We are always wishing for the newest, nicest products because we think they make us happy. But in reality all you need is some friends and family and a few basic props to have fun and be filled with joy.”
Brady is an Eagle Scout, soccer player and volunteer, a member of three national honor societies and he qualified at the national level in a youth marketing competition. He was a candidate for Hickman’s courtwarming king, raising over $3,000 for Mobility Worldwide.
Brady will attend the University of Wyoming in the fall with plans to study marketing with an emphasis in supply chain management.
“Eventually I would like to land a job as a marketing manager or something related for an outdoor company such as Bass Pro, North Face or Drake. This would allow me to combine my interest in business with my passion for the outdoors.” If the opportunity arises, Brady aspires to start his own outdoor-oriented business. No matter what career Brady decides on, he’ll remember the three lessons he learned while digging ditches in Nicaragua.
Brady is the son of Jerry and Jana Wirth of Columbia.
