"The Sexiest Winner of Survivor" stole the show Monday night with a combination of witty, humorous remarks and serious issues during his speech, "Character: The Ultimate Survival Tool" at Cardinal Hall in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
Ethan Zohn, winner of "Survivor: Africa," as well as a soccer player in Zimbabwe, used his light-heartedness and charisma to show students and visitors that they do not have to win a million dollars to make a difference.
"I really enjoyed the mix of his humor and drawing experiences from 'Survivor' to show everyone that we can all be something no matter how much we have," said Eleida Ehman, who attended the presentation.
Zohn, however, started off with the all-important question: Was there a lot of sex during Survivor?
"Well no, but there certainly was a lot afterwards," Zohn said jokingly.
Zohn's humor kept the audience involved while he discussed the importance of being true to oneself, even when there is nothing else.
"The one thing I was not expecting when I started 'Survivor' was the loneliness," Zohn said. "All I had with me was my one possession we are allowed to bring with us: My hacky sack."
Zohn continued to explain how, while in Kenya, after playing hacky sack with local children, he gave his hacky sack to one of the boys.
"That was a very eye-opening experience for me," Zohn said. "This toy I brought with me was like a luxury to this Kenyan kid. That's when I first really understood the phrase 'It is better to give than to receive.'"
Zohn also used an Arab proverb to show that students don't have to have much to do something great.
"I learned through Survivor that when you have nothing else, all you need is character, personality, and the ability to battle tough challenges in order to succeed," Zohn said.
The speech then took a more serious tone when Zohn explained what he did with his $1 million prize.
He began his explanation by showing a clip from "A Closer Walk," a film about AIDS and how it is affecting the world. The eight-minute clip began with a little girl from Africa who was dying of AIDS.
"Seeing that girl in the hospital was really sad to me," Ball State University student Stacey Young said. "It was very emotional."
The clip also discussed how every eight seconds, someone else dies of AIDS.
"I show this piece to you guys, not to make you angry, but to hopefully inspire you," Zohn said.
He used this to segway into "Grassroot Soccer," a nonprofit organization he founded that trains Africa's professional soccer players to teach children about HIV/AIDS prevention.
Zohn used soccer because in Africa, soccer is the most prominent sport.
"Every child in Africa hopes to be a soccer player someday," he said. "I knew this would be the best way to show them the cause and affects of AIDS."
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