As an undergrad student at CWRU in 2002, Jason Bradshaw (CWR ’02) took part in a unique task: carrying the Olympic torch along its route to Salt Lake City for that year’s Winter Olympics.
Joined by fellow student and fraternity brother Erik Petersen (CWR ’04), Bradshaw was one of 11,500 people nationwide to carry the Olympic torch across 48 states. The pair won the opportunity through an essay contest sponsored by Coca Cola.
“I ran on Euclid Ave. in East Cleveland and passed the torch to [Petersen], who nominated me to participate,” recalled Bradshaw of the quarter-mile run that took place on New Year’s Day. “I was extremely proud to have been chosen, but at the time I felt like my accomplishments were less significant than those of the other runners. I was always concerned with other people having the best experiences that they could.”
Now the director of design and manufacturing at Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box], Bradshaw, who still has the torch and the outfit he wore, recognizes parallels between his college self and his present day.
“Having worked here for 13 years and spending the majority of my time concerned with delivering the best experience I can to our students, I recognize the value of what I was recognized for all those years ago,” he said. “It’s a great story and the torch is a wonderful artifact to display in my home, but reminiscing about this helps me to recognize the trajectory my life has taken. I’m proud to realize that I’ve always been driven by my morals and ideals, and that while any sort of recognition is always nice, I’m more happy to know that I can be part of transformative experiences in the lives of others.”