Neil Mendonça’s is a story that, while entirely unique to his experience, contains elements common to many students in the School of Kinesiology. Hailing from Hong Kong, Neil traveled to Minnesota to attend college. He was uncertain of his academic direction until was able to find his place and carve out a spot for himself. His support system, he says, was crucial to his success in the Sport Management M.Ed. program.
Neil grew up in Hong Kong, an experience that has uniquely shaped his perspective and experience. His stories and memories of the city are, of course, numerous. His favorite memories involve hiking, playing basketball, late night kebabs, and working at a trampoline park.
“Growing up in Hong Kong is what prepared me for everything in life. While growing up, I was lucky to be able to be surrounded by people from all over the world. We all called Hong Kong home, but our ethnic backgrounds varied.”
Though he grew up in Hong Kong, Neil has roots in Bangalore and Goa, India. He would often visit India during his summer breaks, storing up memories of eating kathi rolls, traditional Indian sweets, and drinking coffee in a shop near his grandparents’ house.
“The lessons I learned from being around everyone and sharing our cultures came into play when I moved to Minnesota in 2016, as it helped with acclimatizing to the local culture.”
Neil found himself in Minnesota after his experience at a community college in Hong Kong. While he was there, he realized that he would need to look outside Hong Kong to achieve his educational goals. Experiences with family friends in New Jersey and traveling with his parents brought him to Mankato. There he began to establish his Minnesota roots.
“I was also moving to Minnesota low on confidence—despite portraying otherwise—and trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do with life.”
Neil finished out his undergraduate studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and graduated in 2021. Times were uncertain and he was having trouble finding a job. He had already planned to get his master’s, but was convinced to do so directly after graduation.
“The M.Ed. program at the U gave me the opportunity to start in January, and I decided to apply.”
Neil did a lot of work to integrate himself within the SoK community and build up his support network. He credits this network with much of his success. In those moments where he felt like he was at his wits’ end, he had friends and family that helped ground him.
“Every single time I wanted to give up or lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel, there has been a moment where someone from my support system stopped me from spiraling.”
In the School of Kinesiology’s M.Ed. program, Neil found himself afforded a wealth of opportunities. Volunteering with the Wild and at the Women’s Final Four at Target Center, he was able to meet sport management leaders. Filled with healthy debates, his classes challenged him. Thoughts were provoked and, with the liberty to express these thoughts freely and ask questions, he always left with a deeper understanding of the concepts covered. Neil found that the faculty were always supportive and willing to help. His favorite memories from the program were doing research projects with Drs. Clint Warren and Mitch McSweeney in his final year. In addition to his studies, he worked at the Lindahl Academic Center with Gopher student athletes, a position he recommends for those interested in athletics.
“All professors had an open-door policy, made time to ensure that I felt supported, and provided opportunities and real-world advice. I always felt like I could reach out to them and ask for advice, even if it wasn’t directly related to assignments.”
Having recently graduated, these days Neil is enjoying a reprieve from the demands of academics. Despite this, he has been staying busy applying to jobs, keeping up with research, spending time with friends, and volunteering at a nearby food shelter.
During his time at Mankato, Neil set out to pursue the long-time goal for himself of becoming a commencement speaker. This goal was interrupted by the lack of in-person commencements during COVID-19 restrictions, but that didn’t stop Neil from sticking to his goal. He decided to try again at the School of Kinesiology. As graduation approached this year, he once again began the process of applying to be a speaker. The process included submitting a draft speech and résumé, answering a questionnaire, and doing a brief interview. Shortly after the interview, he was selected to speak at the ceremony.
“I wanted to represent the international student community. The joy of being in a new environment and having a unique opportunity to create a life from scratch often masks the struggles that come with being an international student, from finding a voice, to having identity crises, to missing family, and many other things. I am very fortunate to have created a community for myself, but that may not be the case for everyone.”
“I spend a lot of time creating lists on Google Maps of sites and restaurants in cities I want to visit.”
He likes to walk and hike, often starting the day with a stroll around Lake of the Isles. He began learning to cook when he came to Minnesota and realized he missed the tastes of home.
“Recently I’ve been more experimental with the cuisines that I attempt to cook, but my favorite things to cook all have roots in Hong Kong or the Indian subcontinent—cha siu, dal, paneer, nihari, dosa, biryani.”
As he looks to the near future, Neil is well prepared with his Project 24–a life plan with a set of 24 goals he plans to complete by 2024. After getting some experience under his belt, he also plans on getting his PhD in Sport Management. This desire is rooted in the realization of the impact that educators can have on students’ lives. A dream of his is to build youth sport facilities in countries recovering from natural disasters or conflict.
