BY: WALTER LEMBECK, NASHVILLE ‘20 PROGRAM PARTICIPANT & SPORT COMMUNICATIONS STUDENT AT BRADLEY UNIVERSITY
In my past blog, I wrote about current Living Sport participants. Let’s switch our focus now to one of our Junior Mentors on the program, the ever-reliable and hard-working, Connor Herlihy.
Connor was a part of the first Living Sport program in Barcelona, Spain 2017, as a participant. His journey through Living Sport has now come full circle, as he became a junior mentor with our Nashville group and has since gone on to become the Director, Digital Media of Living Sport.
Connor is someone I related to a lot on the trip, given that he was a little more soft spoken, but a hard worker from the get-go. After seeing him put in tireless effort throughout the ten days, I knew I had to pick his brain a little about the program.
Like I mentioned before, Connor was a part of the first program in Barcelona. Connor went into the program a few months after graduating, and used it to propel his career. “I came out of the trip ready to go, feeling inspired, trying to get to where I wanted to be,” Connor explained.
The trip opened up Connor’s eyes to international travel, and working internationally. Fresh out of the Living Sport program he had an interview with the Junior Golf Tour of Asia to live in China, and travel around Asia working on the media side of the golf industry.
Connor has a unique ability to be a part of firsts for Living Sport. He was on the first ever trip, going to Barcelona, and he was also on the first ever domestic program with our Nashville crew. Connor saw benefits to the domestic program, “We worked with the Trash Pandas, and there is a good chance you could find a position or internship with them afterwards.”
Connor also saw benefits for the international program as well. He mentioned how international travel looks great on a resume, and there are opportunities to work abroad as well, if you’re willing to take the leap. Connor is first hand proof that you can get an opportunity after doing a program overseas.
Connor has had the opportunity to see Living Sport grow as a program, and through the growth a sense of community has developed. “There are participants that I have never met, but I feel like I am friends with them, and that I know them on a personal and professional level,” Connor explained.
Connor continued his high praise for the program, “I don’t know too many programs that do it like Living Sport does, it’s easily top tier in terms of community and building that sense of family.”
Connor is excited to see the program continue to grow, and has hope there might be a trip to Asia in the future.
I hope to continue to build a relationship with Connor going forward, as his hard work inspired me from the beginning. All of the work he put into the program can be seen through all the photos being shared, by Living Sport, and program participants. It’s a beautiful thing when someone can capture the essence of a trip through photos and videos, and Connor did just that. It makes it easy to see why Connor has had success, and will continue to succeed going forward, including his new role of Director, Digital Media with Living Sport.