Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/468178
23 centralight spring '15 Don Shay Where he lives: Cape Town, South Africa Ask Don Shay, '79, what he's doing for a living, and you better put your feet up. Maybe grab a snack. He's building libraries and sports complexes, creating programs for young people, fi nding jobs for the unemployed, training teachers, helping abused women, and building youngsters up through basketball. "Rebuilding hope," he says with a smile, wearing a CMU basketball T-shirt as he chats via Skype. Don is a project manager for Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading, an innovative project to reduce crime and increase safety in the struggling townships around Cape Town. He only planned to stay two years when he arrived in South Africa with his wife, Suellen, in 1988. He's been there ever since. "The ugliness of apartheid was an incredible motivator to work for change," Don says. "Now that a peaceful democracy emerged, there is much work to do to realize the fruits of democracy – justice, education, health, employment. "What motivates me is my understanding that I am not whole unless the society around me is whole." That passion started way back at Central, he says. "CMU unlocked me," Don says. "Walking onto the basketball team, being involved in student organizations, being a resident assistant – I learned what's possible. I gained confi dence. I discovered I could do things." He's starting a nonprofi t, "Sporting Skills for Life," and he welcomes fellow CMU alumni interested in supporting the cause. He envisions cultural and athletic student exchanges between the United States and South Africa. He's a guy with a lot of ideas. "I get my hands in so many interesting challenges every day." DON'S TRAVEL TIP: Hungry in Cape Town? Visit Africa Cafe. "You get 20 starters of African food from around the continent and you ask for more of what you like," Don says. Another must-try eatery: Mzoli's Place in Gugulethu for local barbecue, called "braaid," cooked over an open fi re and coals. CMU Travel nearly anywhere around the globe wearing CMU gear, and you're likely to hear a cheerful, "Fire Up, Chips!" CMU alumni are everywhere. They're designing menswear in Belgium, researching fi sh in New Zealand, teaching English to youngsters in Israel, and rebuilding townships and hope in South Africa. These global alumni talk about how their time at CMU has served them well worldwide and how their experiences in faraway places have transformed them in remarkable ways. Their stories might just be inspiring enough to motivate you to book a lengthy fl ight. If you do, we've got you covered: These alums also share tourist tips for their corner of the globe. Don't forget to pack your maroon and gold. Global BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, '83 Chippewa alumni put down roots around the world