When Vito Poletto (’18) was young, his sister unexpectedly passed away at the age of four. This was a shocking and painful moment for his family, and one that caused a lot of confusion and turmoil, especially when it came to discussions around God and His goodness. As Vito grew older, he disconnected from the idea of God and poured himself into soccer as a way to cope. He quickly found success there and when he turned 18, he was offered an opportunity to play professionally in Germany.
He played for two years in Germany, but after a few injuries, Vito started to wonder what the rest of his life would look like. He decided to come back to Canada and started applying at different schools. Trinity Western was the first school that reached out to him, and after setting foot on the campus, he knew there was something unique and special about the place.
“Everyone was so happy,” says Vito. “The sports world is so competitive and ruthless. But when I showed up, every player on the (Spartans) team came up and shook my hand, and my dad’s hand, and introduced themselves.”
Looking back, he believes it was a God thing that drew him to campus because he had an unexplainable certainty that this was the place for him, despite being “the least Christian person”.
At first, everything was all about soccer for him. After starting his first game, he scored the game winner and felt the elation of the crowd. But injuries continued to plague his experience and caused him to really wrestle with his identity.
“If I was playing good, life was good. If I was not playing good, life sucked,” says Vito.
During his second year, at his very first time attending chapel, he felt his whole body tingle in an unexplainable way. He started going to chapel regularly and felt this strange tingling every time he went. One of his friends suggested that it was God calling to him. Vito wasn’t sure, so he prayed and asked that if God was real, that He would speak.
The next day, Vito came across the song “Good Good Father” by chance on his music player and be broke down crying.
“That was the one moment where I knew that God was real,” says Vito.
After that, the community at TWU played a crucial part in stewarding his journey and leading him into a deeper relationship with Christ.
“At one point, I was playing semi-pro in Germany, living my life, and none of that compares to what it’s like living with God within. It’s not even close to the amount of joy you receive when you surrender your life to God,” says Vito.
Hear the whole story on our TWU Alumni podcast and learn how Vito came to accept Christ and how he’s now an active part of planting a church in Vancouver.
Listen to Vitto's interview on the TWU Alumni Spotlight podcast.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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