STUDENT-Athlete of the Week: Peter Yobo

By Jordan Moore on December 10, 2010 10:11 AM | 1 Comment

Each week, we shift the emphasis to the left side of the hyphen and have an illuminating conversation with a Trojan scholar-athlete.

Name: Peter Yobo

Sports: Football and Track & Field

Class: Junior

Major: Economics

GPA: 3.34

Jordan Moore (JM): Born in New Jersey, but raised in Ghana. Do you think of yourself as American or Ghanaian?

Peter Yobo (PY): This may sound weird but i think of myself as "worldian." My life has and continues to be influenced by the experiences I've had from all the countries and people I have come in touch with.

JM: I guess the real question is who were you rooting for in the World Cup last summer when the U.S. battled Ghana in the 2nd round?

PY: Funny thing is I was rooting for both countries until they had to face off, when of course I put my Ghanaian flag over my back.

JM: What part of African culture do you miss most now living in the States the last four years?

PY: I miss the extended family system that is found in every African culture, where seeing your uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, etc. was an everyday affair and in most cases the whole extended family lived in one big house.

JM: You started a website called iStandAbove. Tell me about it...

PY: In most third world and developing countries, the youth are not encouraged to fully pursue their dreams due to financial, social, economic, and political reasons. It came as a shock to me when I realized that the same problems were prevalent here in the United States, so I decided to start an organization that would empower the youth by making available academic, sporting, and relief resources to enable them to attain their short and long-term goals and also equip them with iStandAbove's three core values; leadership, teamwork, and creativity through sustainable programs and projects in order to prepare them for their future role as world leaders.

JM: What inspired you to take on the challenge of helping kids in need?

PY: It's weird because as a kid in Ghana, my mother and sister would always complain about me giving my toys and pocket money to my friends who didn't have any. As I grew older I realized that the desire to make life better for others became stronger and overpowered my desire for material things and that's the reason it's been easy for me to invest my time and efforts into empowering the youth.

JM: You're an economics major. How do you fix California's budget, so you can help kids right here in LA?

PY: It's quite simple, invest in education for long term gains. And also, provide incentives to high school graduates and college students to further their education. Many politicians promise jobs, but what use are the jobs when you do not have a qualified work force?

JM: You are a two-sport athlete at USC. What makes a great javelin thrower other than strength?

PY: Technique. With javelin it's technique first, then strength.

JM: Why did you decide to walk-on to the football team?

PY: I needed and wanted to compete. Football is the one sport where brute force and passion make the game. Before I walked on, a few of the guys told me it would be the most emotional sport I would ever play. They were definitely right about that, but being able to channel those emotions into performance is what becomes important.

JM: What's next for you?

PY: Capturing and making the best of opportunities that come my way. And leading the fight for equality of all people especially those in Africa.

JM: How do you say "Fight on" in Ghanaian?

PY: In the context as it is used here it is "Kaa kpa knor" which means "don't stop fighting." Closest I could get...