Robyn Vincent

28 Brolin takes to the sky in Argentina.

Photo: Ben Girardi

altruistic athlete WORDS: ROBYN VINCENT PHOTOS: BEN GIRARDI, PHIL HESSLER It has been said that the American Dream is now but a crumbling fantasy. Opportunities to wriggle from socioeconomic rank and ascend the ladder are shrinking. The gap between the lower and upper class is growing. And it seems our individual power is waning while the corporate machine flourishes. But if you look beyond the land of red, white and blue, you’ll find people in other places with deep convictions that America is still a land rife with opportunity. For these folks, the biggest hurdle is simply setting foot on U.S. soil. And for those that do, their will to succeed slices through our increasing cynicism.

Brolin Mawajje’s story typifies an evolving rendition of the American dream; that it is possible to defy circumstance, that our differences should be celebrated and that we should never lose sight of our past.

Born in Uganda, Brolin moved to the U.S., where his mother emigrated years earlier, when he was 12 years old. He traded a difficult life in Uganda with his father and seven siblings for a lonely existence in Boston with a mother he barely knew. But while she worked long nights as a nurse, Brolin unraveled. As he struggled to navigate a new set of cultural norms, he was ostracized by his classmates. In response, Brolin lashed out and school administrators contemplated plucking him from his home environs.

It was not until he began snowboarding and subsequently met Phil Hessler, whose family would eventually adopt him and insist he relocate with them to Jackson Hole, that Brolin would carve an inspired path. Now in his senior year at Westminster College in Utah, Brolin is a pre-med student training to be the first Ugandan snowboarder in the Olympics. His journey is the subject of a two-year film project, Far From Home, which recently brought him back to Uganda and will follow him on his quest to shred on the world stage.

ROBYN VINCENT: What was it like returning to Uganda after almost 10 years?

BROLIN MAWAJJE: Going back to Uganda was like looking into a mirror to my past, and remembering my childhood. Having been in the United States for so long, I think I forgot about some of the harsh realities that exist in Uganda and countries like it. I really saw what my life would have been like had I never came to America. It was a huge eye opening experience for me.

ROBYN: Tell me what it was like to see your father? Who else in your family still lives in Uganda? BROLIN: It was great to see my father. I wanted to prove to him that I was doing something with my life, and make him proud. It did, however, feel a little superficial and more for the movie than for me. I hope to return to Uganda soon to just hang out with my family, rather than stress over getting the right shot. Almost my whole extended family still lives in Uganda, and it was great to see them after so long. They were all stoked about the project.

ROBYN: What was life like growing up in Uganda?

BROLIN: For me, growing up in Uganda was all about discipline. There are a lot of kids and families whose parents don’t care what they do. I was lucky that my father was extremely strict even though it wasn’t easy at times. My father saw education as the most important thing; it was all that mattered. I think that is why I take school so seriously.

ROBYN: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you moved to the U.S.?

BROLIN: The hardest part about moving to the U.S. was adapting to the culture. I had a very thick accent when I first moved, and felt like I didn’t fit in. I also hadn’t seen my mom since I was two years old as she left for America and my father raised me for the first 12 years of my life. I felt like a fish out of water, especially those first few years. It was almost as if I was floating in a dream at the mercy of my circumstances. Snowboarding and skateboarding were what really gave me an entry point to feel a part of something bigger than myself.

ROBYN: What were some of the most striking culture shocks?

BROLIN: I arrived on a cold January night in 2004 in Boston. It was freezing! I had never experienced such cold temperatures; I didn’t even want to get off the plane. The next morning I watched snow fall all day.

2929

Photo: Galen Knowles

30

I had never seen anything like it and was fascinated by it. There was a magic to it. The other big shock was the school, it had hallways and lockers and everything was inside one building. It wasn’t like that in Uganda.

ROBYN: In last year’s issue of JH Snowboarder Phil discussed how much you disliked the cold when you first started snowboarding and how he would often find you parked in front of the fire in the lodge with your boots off.

BROLIN: I was used to the hot weather in Uganda. The winter in Uganda is way warmer than the summer in Jackson. The coldest temperatures I had experienced before I came to America were probably in the 80s. It felt like I was stuck in a freezer when I arrived in the East Coast. I hated the cold, but the snow fascinated me.

ROBYN: Tell me about your first experience snowboarding.

BROLIN: The first time I went snowboarding was at a small hill in Westford, MA, called Nashoba Valley. I had rental boots and boards and all my gear was too small. I looked like a total kook. I could barely make it a few feet without falling. The first friend I made in America was the one who took me snowboarding. He laughed at me the whole way down the mountain but I was laughing too. During that episode, I realized for the first time since I moved to the U.S. that I had nothing on my mind and was completely absorbed in the present moment. Snowboarding became my escape.

ROBYN: Why have you set your sights on the Olympics?

BROLIN: The Olympics are a special event because the whole world is involved and watching. I have an opportunity to make history as an African. I want to ride in the Olympics because I believe it will inspire people from my home country to go after their dreams and show that your circumstances don’t define you. I think riding in the Olympics will also provide a platform for me to go back to Uganda and make significant contributions to the healthcare system.

ROBYN: What kinds of obstacles have you faced at school?

BROLIN: When I first came to America I was constantly bullied and teased for my accent. I didn’t know how to make friends and I had a lot of anger problems. But as time went on things got easier. I’ve always worked hard at my studies and opportunities arose through school. I found belonging through snowboarding and skateboarding. I now attend college in Salt Lake City at Westminster College where I will be graduating next year and am pursuing a degree in medicine. Pre-med and snowboarding are similar because they both take a lot of time. I have had to miss competitions and powder days because of too much homework or a lab that I couldn’t skip. It definitely gets hard to balance the two.

ROBYN: Tell me about college life in Utah. Has it been a difficult transition from Jackson Hole?

BROLIN: Life in Utah is a blast. I spend most of my time studying, snowboarding, and working out. It is definitely different than Jackson, but it was pretty easy to transition. The hardest part is that not many places have the type of terrain that Jackson has to offer! Transitioning from Boston to Jackson Hole when I was 16 was a lot harder.

ROBYN: How did moving to Jackson Hole change you?

BROLIN: Moving to Jackson Hole changed me in many ways. When I moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts, it took me a while to make friends and fit in. When I moved to Jackson, I quickly became friends with everyone and was very happy. Moving to Jackson and being immersed in that environment helped me break out of my shell and become who I am today. It also gave me the opportunity to pursue snowboarding in a way I never dreamed possible.

ROBYN: Why do you want to study medicine?

BROLIN: I believe that the main goal of life is to help other people. I want to do this as literally as possible, which means becoming a doctor. I also am intrigued by the human body and enjoy figuring out how it works. I’ve always enjoyed math and science and my father made it his priority that I do well in school. In Uganda, being a doctor is a very respected position and I made a decision very early on that I wanted to be a doctor.

ROBYN: What role has snowboarding played in your life?

BROLIN: To me, snowboarding is a door to another reality. When I’m snowboarding, nothing else matters. All of the stress and problems of the material world vanish and I am left alone with the mountain. Snowboarding has introduced me to a culture and way of life that I didn’t know existed.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everybody for reading this and helping me achieve my dreams.

The Jackson Hole premiere of Far From Home happens February 16 at the Center for the Arts. Visit www.farfromhomemovie.com for more on Brolin and upcoming festival dates. rv

Robyn Vincent is not sleeping well. Follow her on Instagram: @thenomadicheart