May 24, 2023. Big 12 Business Summit. Arlington, Texas.

Eric DeSalvo ’09, UCF associate athletics director of #content, settles into his seat among the crowd of marketing and sales leadership staff from around the Big 12 Conference as the league’s commissioner, Brett Yormark, takes the stand for his opening remarks.

“He starts it off and he goes, ‘These are the four things that are my pillars: innovation, creativity, disruption and taking risks,’” DeSalvo recalls. “And I immediately think, is he talking about himself or UCF?”

Being “bold” and “innovative” and “disruptive” might just sound like hot buzz words for brands to adopt in 2023. But in UCF’s case, it’s authentic. The Knights actually are all of these adjectives because they’ve had to be.

Without the resources of longer-established universities — ����ֱ�� of Florida was founded in 1853, UCF in 1963…

Without a longstanding history of fandom and donor support — ����ֱ�� of Texas’ alumni association was organized in 1885. UCF’s in 1975…

Without decades of nationally televised games and promotional broadcasts — Ohio State has hosted ESPN’s College GameDay a record 22 times, UCF once…

UCF has had to strategically rely on its youth to find ways to break through the noise in a state that boasts three other Power 5 institutions.

Enter: The benefit of big and the power of social media.

Building a Brand

Established in 1963, UCF’s meteoric rise to the Big 12 Conference makes it the youngest Power 5 institution in the country.

“It’s a modern athletic department. I think it’s the future of higher education. It’s the future of college sports,” says Zack Lassiter, vice president of athletics for Abilene Christian ����ֱ�� who served as UCF’s senior associate athletic director of external operations from 2012-15.

But it wasn’t always necessarily this way.

DeSalvo knows UCF’s brand arguably better than anyone. The son of UCF graduate Joe DeSalvo ’75, he grew up going to UCF games in the mid-1990s at the Citrus Bowl and went on to graduate from UCF himself. He has worked for the athletic department since 2011 — first in communications before he transitioned to what is now known as the #content department in 2013.

He says in his youth, he would have described UCF as having “a lot of potential” and “on the brink.”

“For a long time, UCF was “UC-If” — If we only didn’t get a phantom holding call against Georgia. If we didn’t miss the extra point here. And there were so many of those games across all sports that you were like, you’re right there —�� if only,” he says. “But you saw the potential. You were definitely on the cusp.”

On3 National College Football host Andy Staples, who moved to Central Florida as a middle schooler and graduated from Lake Mary High School, echoes the same sentiments.

“You didn’t think of UCF in the same way you would have thought of Miami or Florida State or Florida,” Staples says. “You’d go to the campus and you didn’t see a lot of UCF gear. It didn’t feel like a destination-type campus. We went there a lot for science fairs or somebody would be having their graduation at the arena — it didn’t feel as much like a place that people say, ‘I grow up wanting to go to UCF,’ or ‘I’ve been a UCF fan my whole life.’ You just never would expect anybody to say that back in the ’90s. Watching it change over the decades has been pretty amazing.”

“ ‘I’ve been a UCF fan my whole life.’ You just never would expect anybody to say that back in the ’90s. Watching it change over the decades has been pretty amazing.” — Andy Staples, On3 National College Football host

When former Athletic Director Todd Stansbury recruited Lassiter to join UCF’s athletic department in 2012, the west coast native didn’t have much familiarity with UCF.

Lassiter made it a point to ask a lot of questions and listen to campus counterparts, young alumni and students to gain a better understanding of how the university had gotten to where it was so quickly.

“We were young, but we were big, and so in that sense you could tell that, that was something that we could probably do better than anyone else,” Lassiter says.

Indeed, UCF’s enrollment in 2012 just tipped 60,000. Today it’s more than 68,000. The university confers more than 18,000 degrees annually, and its alumni base clocks in at more than 368,000 — nearly half of which still live in Central Florida.

Perhaps the most important stat is that the average alumni age is 42 years old. So, by the time that Lassiter joined the fold, social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter, founded in 2006) and Instagram (founded in 2010) were starting to really take off in the sports world and UCF’s biggest fan base was very active on social media.

It was the perfect combination.

“Perception is reality. And if you feel like you’re getting hit up by a bunch of UCF fans on Twitter, their reality is you are because the numbers are there between our enrollment and alumni,” DeSalvo says. “Our fanbase can celebrate the big moments with big numbers. They can pile on to somebody who shows some disrespect. They can win a Twitter poll like no other. By always showing up, they’ve backed up what is on paper.”

So, the department decided to lean into social to stand out. UCF Athletics hired a full-time social media manager, Keal Blache ’11, who served a short stint. When he vacated the position in 2013, Lassiter approached DeSalvo about the opening because of DeSalvo’s penchant for being creative with the social accounts in his role at the time as the communications contact for the volleyball and baseball teams.

“I’ll never forget — I think I’m at (former UCF basketball player and athletics staff member) Mike O’Donnell’s wedding. And Todd Stansbury’s there and he goes, ‘Hey you’re moving over to the social role, right?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘Alright. Push the envelope.’ OK. Todd is telling me to push the envelope. I’ll do my best.

“I can thank Blake Bortles and Storm Johnson and J.J. Worton��’14 �����Ի� Terrance Plummer ’21 and that crew for helping me push the envelope because there’s no greater year one than going to the .”

In the last decade, UCF has had three athletic directors — all of whom DeSalvo says have continued to buy-into the “push the envelope” mentality — four football head coaches and four university presidential leadership transitions. But the same voice on social media, which has benefitted UCF immensely.

“If there is somebody better at what Eric has done and what he has built, I haven’t met him. And there were a lot of other talented people that were a part of that. But I think what made him so great is he believed it,” Lassiter says. “He could do it in a way that could connect, and a lot of our folks loved that it was a UCF person doing this. That’s the authenticity of what social can be at its best — how do you become yourself in a way that galvanizes and gets people excited? He ran with it in ways that I hope 50 years from now if there’s a story about who were those individuals that played a part of that, I think Eric deserves a ton of credit for what he did. I think he had a lot of really talented people around him, and he was given kind of the keys to the kingdom so to speak, and we took off.”

Those talented people are who DeSalvo credits for the team’s ability to not only stay relevant but maintain UCF’s status as one of the best brands to follow.

“The staff is key. I can’t have all the ideas. The ideas can come from anyone — from the AD (athletics director) to the interns, and many have over the years,” DeSalvo says. “We also have a work environment to where it’s loose, but they are well aware of who our brand is. I always say, ‘There’s no bad ideas.’ I also get to say, ‘We don’t say no around here a whole bunch.’ If it’s trending and there’s a way we can insert UCF’s brand into this conversation and it makes sense, let’s do it.”

The Tweets That Made Us

Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic Senior Writer: Not everyone realized this as early as UCF, where social media is about fun. It’s about engaging and having fun, maybe going viral. But it’s about doing things that are different and not just having no personality. They always had personality, and I think that was immediately embraced by the fan base that was very online and very ready to engage on any topic.

Eric DeSalvo: The tweet was on a whim. I’m with (former Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications) Dan Forcella and I drafted it before the playoff selection show had gotten to it. We were wanting it to be Bama. And it happens, and I hit send. It really put us out there. It’s my favorite tweet I’ve gotten to send.

Eric DeSalvo: That was designed by (former graphic designer) Channing Curtis. We kept seeing the Elmo version, and I asked him, “Hey can you just put Knightro in his place?” The first time we ever got to use it — he made it that day — we cracked the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Andy Staples: I use Knightro gifs pretty frequently. I think Knightro with flames behind him is a very effective way of getting your point across. Those folks are very online. They’re very savvy. They know how to get our attention in the media, and they know how to keep the discussion going. They will defend UCF tooth and nail. They will not let you get away with slandering UCF in any way, shape or form. Which I appreciate. And there are other fan bases that are like that. But [UCF] seems to be a little more in on the joke than some of the others. The more established fanbases, you get people who are just mad at you. UCF Twitter, they know what they’re doing. And they know they know what they’re doing.

Eric DeSalvo: I wasn’t at that game — I was at my mother-in-law’s. But the game was on ESPN3. You could actually rewind, thankfully. He catches that ball. I’m losing my mind.

That was the No. 1 Vine for us for a long time. That one was getting so much national play.

That’s up there because it was so iconic.

DeSalvo: I joke that my iPhone that shot Danny White saying “national champs, undefeated” should go to the (UCF Athletics) Hall of Fame.

Nobody knew Danny was going to say that. We had a plan in place where we would continue to challenge the CFP. That’s what we were doing and needed to do for our team. (Senior Executive Associate Athletics Director of Brand Advancement and Chief Branding Officer) Jimmy Skiles took precedent from when he saw the year��Auburn wasn’t��in the national championship game and were undefeated — they had national championship rings made for their team. It was on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. And he remembered it. If they could do that back then, why can’t we?

So, we crafted messaging for like “undefeated champions.” We didn’t straight up say national champions. (Former graphic designer) Chris Stoney made some motion graphics, “13-0. Only undefeated team, who’s next?”

We knew if we didn’t do anything by the time our game ended and the playoff game started that day, we would be kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of games. It would be a nice win and move on.

People should know Danny looking into my phone wasn’t anything new. I kind of conditioned him to do that, especially at road wins. I would go live at Facebook right as the clock would hit zero to take fans behind the scenes. A lot of the time we’d be walking by Danny as we went to the locker room. So, it wasn’t anything new for him to see my phone get shoved in his face.

He just quickly says those magic words. Oh boy. Here we go.

Andy Staples: Don’t run afoul of UCF Twitter. That’s all I got to say. This is a very passionate, very aggressive online fan base. Which listen that will fit right in (the Big 12). The good thing about UCF is that passion will match with Kansas State and Oklahoma State and Iowa State — they are extraordinarily passionate people. They really love their teams. These are groups that will really appreciate one another.

Charging On

As social media has served as one of the tools to help define UCF’s brand over the years, one constant has been the Knights’ ability to rise up, to band together, to believe in its potential — to Charge On.

As a rallying cry, Charge On was introduced during the Stansbury and Lassiter era.

“It wasn’t as though there was one calling card that really captured the energy or the belief of a UCF fan — like ‘Go Knights!’ was something to where, well how many other Knights are there in college athletics?” Lassiter says. “And I remember thinking that in social media hashtags were really important. What is that we can do?”

“Obviously a decade later it’s become something that I feel is the perfect, simple way to describe who UCF is.” — Zack Lassiter, UCF’s senior associate athletic director of external operations from 2012-15.

And then Charge On surfaced. Lassiter recalls the idea came from an alum, who suggested it because the phrase is part of the lyrics in UCF’s fight song.

“When the idea was proposed, it seemed to make too much sense,” Lassiter says. “This describes who we are. There’s a great history behind it. It’s incredibly nimble and flexible in how you can apply it certain ways.”

So, Lassiter conducted an experiment. He walked around UCF Athletics’ main administration buildings and starting using the term without explanation to elicit genuine reactions from the staffers.

“Nobody could figure out a way to say why that wouldn’t work,” he says. “Obviously a decade later it’s become something that I feel is the perfect, simple way to describe who UCF is.”

There is still so much of UCF’s story to be written. More traditions to carve out. More pushing the envelope unapologetically.

And what makes DeSalvo and the rest of the gatekeepers of the brand excited about the next chapter is the union with the renegades of the Big 12.

“We’re finally in a league that is exactly where we should be … its identity is completely us,” DeSalvo says. “Not only do we get to do this stuff here and try to do it as big as possible, now we have the backing of a Power 5 league that is going to help just throw gasoline on the fire and get it out there further.”

Pop quiz: Name the five youngest universities among the current Power 5 conferences.

All before the invention of bubble gum, you’ve got UCLA in 1919, Texas Tech in 1923, Miami in 1925 and Houston in 1927.

By far and away the youngest is UCF, founded in 1963. Initially named Florida Technological ����ֱ��, it was established to provide a pipeline of talent for the United States space program at nearby Cape Canaveral.

It’s impossible to appreciate the journey of UCF Athletics without a timeline that exhibits the youth of the institution and the manner in which the athletics program has skyrocketed to success.

• In 1963 UCF was founded.
• In 1968 the first classes were held.
• In 1969 the first varsity athletic event was held — a men’s basketball game at Massey Institute in Jacksonville. And several other sports began competition in the 1970s.
• Ten years later, in 1979, UCF played football for the first time at the Division III level with no scholarships in its first three years. Its first game was held in a muddy cow pasture.
• In 1984-85, the majority of UCF’s sports programs were playing at the Division I level.
• Four decades of a rollercoaster ride — including the football team’s first FBS game (the current highest Division I level) in 1996 — led to national notoriety
• On July 1, 2023, UCF begins an exciting new chapter as one of four schools to join the Big 12 Conference.

“A lot of the national powers right now were playing (football) at the turn of the 20th century. … And to understand what you’ve got to make up in that time, it’s generations of donors, it’s generations of parents taking their kids to games, it’s generations of players growing up watching the team play and say, ‘I would give anything to play for that team,” says Andy Staples, senior writer for The Athletic

“UCF, without the advantage of decades and generations of all this, has put itself in position to be very competitive in its new league,” Staples says.

Sunshine State Conference (1975-84)

UCF’s first conference affiliation was with the Sunshine State Conference, starting in 1975. The Knights were a charter member of the Division II league which included Biscayne College (now St. Thomas ����ֱ��), Eckerd, Florida Southern, Rollins and Saint Leo.

Following the 1983-84 season, UCF withdrew from the Sunshine State Conference and moved to the NCAA Division I level in the majority of its programs. The Knights competed as an independent until 1990.

Highlight of the Sunshine State Era: UCF won six Sunshine State championships in men’s basketball, three in men’s tennis, two in men’s golf and one in baseball.

New South Women’s Athletic Conference (1986-90, Women’s Only)

UCF was a charter member of the New South Women’s Athletic Conference, the forerunner of the Atlantic Sun. The women’s cross country, basketball, golf, tennis and volleyball teams competed in the conference. During UCF’s stint in the league, Florida A&M, FIU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer and Stetson were members.

Highlight of the NSWAC Era: UCF women’s soccer’s Michelle Akers ’89 helped lead the Knights to the 1987 NCAA Final Four and was honored with collegiate soccer’s top honor, the Hermann Trophy, a year later. Akers went on to be recognized as the FIFA Women’s Player of the Century after a longstanding and decorated career with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

American South Conference (1990-91)

In 1990, the Knights joined the American South Conference, its first Division I league affiliation for all sports except football. UCF spent one campaign in the league which also featured Arkansas State, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, New Orleans, Texas-Pan American and Southwestern Louisiana.

Highlight of the American South era: The American South Conference provided a home for the first time for both the men’s and women’s programs at UCF.

Sun Belt Conference (1991-92)

Following the 1990-91 academic year, the American South merged with the Sun Belt (which retained its name), forming an 11-institution league. UCF competed in the league for just one year against the likes of Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, Jacksonville, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, New Orleans, South Alabama, Louisiana, Texas Rio Grande Valley and Western Kentucky.

Highlight of Sun Belt era: UCF was crowned with the women’s golf title thanks in part to individual champion Liz Earley ’92, who won the individual title in a sudden-death playoff. Jannet and Mike Shumaker were recognized with the Coach of the Year award.

Atlantic Sun Conference (1992-05)

UCF joined the Atlantic Sun (then known as the Trans America Athletic Conference) in 1992. During UCF’s tenure in the league, membership changes occurred frequently. Including UCF, 16 institutions were part of the conference since 1992 — including UCF’s biggest rival at the time, Stetson, located just up the road in DeLand.

UCF was extremely successful in the ASUN — winning nine league titles in women’s soccer, eight each in baseball and women’s outdoor track and field, seven in volleyball, five in women’s tennis, four in men’s basketball, three each in men’s soccer, men’s golf, women’s golf and men’s tennis, two in women’s basketball, one in softball (who fielded its first team in 2002).

Highlight of the ASUN era: The 2001 baseball team (pictured below) that climbed to its highest national ranking in program history (No. 7, Baseball America) and earned the top seed in the NCAA Columbia Regional. From 2000-02, the Knights dominated the league with a combined record of 67-17 against ASUN opponents.

Milestone: Knights Head to FBS (1996)

Although the football team remained independent from conference affiliation until 2002, quite likely the biggest move in UCF Athletics history came in 1996 when the football team first began competing at the NCAA FBS level. Below are excerpts from the April 1993 press release announcing that jump (at that time UCF had only been playing football for 14 seasons). Many of the same sentiments still ring true for UCF’s transition to the Big 12:

The ����ֱ�� will upgrade its football program to the NCAA Division I-A level beginning with the 1996 season, President John C. Hitt announced today.

“Just as a great city needs a great university, a big-league city like Orlando should have a big-league college football program,” Hitt said in making the announcement at the Florida Citrus Bowl, UCF’s home field. …

“We expect to reap a number of benefits by making the move to major college football,” Hitt said. “Historically, many elements of the community first become involved with a university through quality intercollegiate athletic programs and then expand that involvement into other areas of the university.”

“In addition to increased revenues, the elevation of the football program is expected to result in greater national visibility for the university and Central Florida, increased alumni and donor activity, increased interest and camaraderie among the student body, and easier recruitment of student-athletes and students in general, the president said. Local merchants should also benefit financially through increased fan support at UCF athletic events and therefore the support of the business community, including the major attractions, should increase dramatically,” he said.

“This change isn’t something that will just happen; we will have to earn it,” Hitt said. “One of key requirements in moving up to Division I-A is for us to reach an average attendance of 17,000 per game prior to 1996. For this to happen, we will need support from all of UCF’s friends, from the student body and the campus community to alumni, community leaders and business leaders throughout Central Florida.”

This was also the era of Daunte Culpepper, a Central Florida standout out of Ocala Vanguard High School, who put UCF on the map nationally (literally — in 1998, the Knights made their first national television appearance on ESPN against Purdue). Culpepper finished his career as the Knights’ first NFL first-round draft pick.

“Daunte Culpepper helped UCF become a bigger thing than it had been because it was just getting into the FBS at the time, coming out of I-AA,” Staples says. “It made people sit up and take notice and then Daunte goes to the NFL and has this long, productive pro career as well. Now you’re thinking, ‘OK this is a program that can produce that kind of player, that can nurture that kind of player, get them to the NFL and then they can be successful in the NFL.’ ”

Mid-American Conference (2002-04, Football Only)

After 24 seasons as a football independent, UCF joined the Mid-American Conference in 2002 as a football-only member. While it may not have made sense geographically to be playing teams like Kent State, Toledo and Western Michigan as conference opponents, options for joining a league were slim and it provided UCF stability and reliability in its scheduling.

Conference USA (2005-12)

UCF became an all-sports member of Conference USA in 2005 and advanced to the inaugural football championship that same year. It was a period of transition for CUSA, with Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP also joining the league in 2005.

The UCF men’s basketball team made immediate strides on the court in a competitive league, finishing second during the 2006-07 regular season and saw Kirk Speraw named conference coach of the year. UCF’s Jermaine Taylor was also a bright spot for the Knights from 2005-09. He was chosen as the conference’s Player of the Year his senior season and selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

UCF won five CUSA titles in women’s soccer, four in women’s outdoor track and field, three in men’s golf, two each in football, women’s basketball and women’s indoor track and field, and one in softball.

Highlight of the CUSA era: The excellence of UCF’s women’s teams. Women’s soccer advanced to NCAA Sweet 16 in 2011 for first time in nearly three decades and was ranked among the top 10 nationally the following year in its final year as a member. The track and field team’s dynasty of six indoor and outdoor championships in three years resulted in the first NCAA individual champion in school history and a top-five finish at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship. Women’s basketball returned to the NCAA Tournament twice thanks to two tournament titles and softball earned a bid to the NCAA regional with its second conference championship in program history in 2008.

American Athletic Conference (2013-23)

In 2013 UCF joined Houston, Memphis and SMU in leaving Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference — featuring members of the BIG EAST who played football. It also kickstarted the War on I-4 rivalry with nearby conference foe South Florida. UCF went a perfect 7-for-7 in the annual all-sports standings before exiting The American in 2023.

UCF concluded its 10-year tenure in the AAC with more league titles during that decade than any other conference member. UCF teams won 52 AAC titles from 2013-14 through 2022-23 — 21 regular-season crowns and 31 more via conference postseason tournaments, league title games or other conference champion designations.

“Without question that level of success (in the AAC) played a major role in our opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference.” — Terry Mohajir, vice president and director of Athletics

“We take great pride in the tremendous accomplishments of our teams during their 10 years in the American Athletic Conference,” says UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir. “Without question that level of success played a major role in our opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference.”

“Every time some more stuff happened (with conference realignment), UCF happened to be playing very good football and people noticed,” Staples says. “That’s why when the Big 12 lost Texas and Oklahoma, UCF is coming off its most successful period in its history. And it was an easy choice. It was obvious where the Big 12 should go.”

Highlight of the AAC era: The football team’s historical 25-0 run over a span of 745 days from 2017-19. The accomplishment is listed in the NCAA record book among the longest win streaks ever recorded and marks the fourth-longest win streak this millennium (Miami, 34 – 2000-03; Florida State, 29 – 2012-14; Alabama, 26 – 2015-16).

Big 12 Conference (2023-present)

The Big 12 announced in September 2021 that UCF would join BYU, Houston and Cincinnati as future members. The Big 12 does not sponsor men’s soccer, so the Knights will compete in the Sun Belt Conference (which features fellow Power 5 programs West Virginia, Kentucky and South Carolina) in that sport.

Below are excerpts from the Sept. 10, 2021, announcement when the UCF Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept an invitation for UCF to join the Big 12. Mohajir was quoted:

“This is a landmark day for anyone ever associated with UCF or UCF Athletics. As we anticipate a future move to the Big 12 Conference, we first owe a vote of thanks to all those at UCF who have gone before us. There’s a long list of student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, university presidents and support staff, fans and donors and, of course, our student body, plus so many others whose hard work and successes have helped pave the way for today’s announcement. The bases were already loaded, and I feel very blessed and honored to get to step up to the plate on behalf of UCF.

“I speak for all of us at UCF in expressing our excitement for the opportunities that lie ahead. I’m confident our Knight teams will rise to the challenges to come.

“Here at UCF we are in the business of providing the best possible opportunities for our student-athletes to thrive while they are here and to have post-collegiate career success. We are convinced that competing as a member of the Big 12 Conference absolutely will help us accomplish those goals.

“In addition, Orlando is one of the most vibrant cities in the world — and the NIL (name, image, likeness) opportunities for our student-athletes here are endless compared to many college towns.”

“UCF has always kind of looked at the next step. If these programs are thinking that UCF is going to come in and just try to fit in, that’s not going to be how it goes.” — Andy Staples, ��The Athletic senior writer

“UCF has always kind of looked at the next step. If these programs are thinking that UCF is going to come in and just try to fit in, that’s not going to be how it goes,” Staples says. “UCF is going to come in and try to take over. I think Cincinnati, Houston, BYU probably feel the same way, but you’ve seen it with UCF. When UCF went into the American, it was a step up in competition — but it didn’t take long before UCF was one of the best programs in the league. It’s got everything it needs to be successful. It has all the ingredients.”

“Just because Oklahoma and Texas are gone (in 2024 to the sec), no one is going to be able to walk through this league,” says Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic. “We’ve seen Kansas State and Baylor and different teams make Big 12 title games recently, but I would not be surprised if UCF is competing to win this league pretty soon after getting there.”

Wallace spent the 2023 season as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State. He previously coached at Notre Dame (2020-22), Jacksonville (2018-19), Creighton (2015-17), High Point (2009-14) and UCF (2004-08). Wallace helped teams at UCF in 2004, Jacksonville in 2018 and Notre Dame in 2021 and 2022 to NCAA Championship appearances.

A 2004 UCF graduate, Wallace becomes the first alumnus to be named head coach of an NCAA-sponsored men’s sport at UCF since 1988. He played four seasons of baseball for the Knights from 2000-03, helping those teams reach the NCAA Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002. As a freshman, he led UCF with a .380 batting average and .529 on-base percentage. He played a key role as UCF won the ASUN regular season in 2000-02 and the ASUN conference tournament in 2001 and 2002.

His combined NCAA Championship experience includes three times as a UCF player and four times as an assistant coach (two Super Regional appearances and one College World Series berth).

“Rich Wallace will be a perfect fit for UCF baseball,” says UCF vice president and director of athletics Terry Mohajir. “As a player and coach, he already has experienced UCF and played on three UCF NCAA tournament teams. His experience as a national recruiter and with player development is well-known. In particular, his recent work at Notre Dame is noteworthy in producing consecutive teams advancing to the Super Regional level, one of those advancing to Omaha. I firmly believe Rich has a great understanding of what it takes to build a tournament team and an Omaha roster.”

“To come back to UCF as the head baseball coach is absolutely a dream come true for myself and my family,” says Wallace. “I’m truly grateful to Terry Mohajir and (����ֱ�� president) Dr. Alex Cartwright for this opportunity. ��I can’t wait to get to work.”

Wallace spent the past four seasons working with head coach Link Jarrett at Notre Dame (2020-22) and Florida State (2023). In South Bend he served as recruiting coordinator and third-base coach while also working with Irish hitters and catchers. He oversaw defensive alignments, managed opposing pitcher video scouting reports, helped coordinate baserunning instruction and assisted with game management during his tenure in South Bend. His role in Tallahassee also featured the recruiting coordinator assignment.

Under Wallace’s guidance, Notre Dame led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked in the top 15 nationally in fielding percentage in both 2021 and 2022. Notre Dame threw out more than 35 percent of attempted base stealers, while Irish runners finished in the top four in the league in stolen bases each season.

In Wallace’s three years at Notre Dame the Irish were 86-32 (.729), second-best winning percentage in the country over that span. Notre Dame’s 44-21 (.677) three-year ACC record was the best in the league, and the Irish won the conference’s regular-season title (their first ACC crown) by 4.5 games in 2021. Notre Dame finished 41-17 in 2022 (most wins for the Irish since 2006) and set a single-season home run record with 79.

Wallace helped guide the Irish to back-to-back NCAA Super Regionals (first time at Notre Dame) and the 2022 College World Series in the third trip to Omaha in program history. In 2021, first baseman Niko Kavadas became a first-team All-American–Notre Dame’s first since 2002–and set the school record with 22 home runs (second in the ACC and third in the nation).

At Notre Dame, Wallace coached two All-Americans, three All-ACC selections and 14 players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. Throughout his extensive career, Wallace has produced 53 Major League Baseball draft selections and coached more than 60 all-conference performers.

He spent the 2018-19 seasons back in his home state as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Jacksonville under head coach Chris Hayes. In 2018 Wallace and the Dolphins finished 40-21 and reached the NCAA Championship as a two seed, the highest in program history. That season, the Dolphins led the ASUN in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and fielding percentage.

Wallace was the recruiting coordinator at Creighton (2015-17 under head coach Ed Servais) and High Point (2009-14 under head coach Craig Cozart). He was named the Big East Recruiter of the Year by D1Baseball in 2016 at Creighton. At High Point he helped bring in consecutive nationally ranked recruiting classes for the first time in school history.

Wallace began his coaching career at UCF (2004-08 under head coach Jay Bergman), coaching the catchers and outfielders while coordinating the camps. UCF won the ASUN regular-season title in 2004 and reached the NCAA Championship.

He remains in UCF’s top 10 in single-season on-base percentage (.529 in 2000) and career hit by pitch (46). Wallace in 2000 was an honorable mention Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and a third-team All-ASUN selection as a designated hitter. In his four seasons with the Knights, UCF won a combined 166 games (51-14 in 2001, 43-19 in 2000, 41-22 in 2002), including a combined 67-17 mark in ASUN play in 2000-02.

After his playing career as a 6-1, 220-pound infielder with the Knights concluded, Wallace earned his degree in 2004 from UCF’s College of Undergraduate Studies with a major in interdisciplinary studies and a minor in criminal justice (after graduating from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando). He and his wife, Alex, have two daughters, Easton and Maxx.

Wallace takes over a UCF baseball program that has made 13 NCAA Championship appearances and produced 10 seasons when the Knights have won a conference regular-season crown, a conference tournament or both. UCF began competition in baseball in 1973.

For me, baseball is more than just a game, it is a continuous source of life lessons and reflection. Plus, I’ve learned a lot about this great country in my travels.

For instance, baseball has taught me that part of life is about failure and how to react to that failure. Baseball is a game in which the batter can miss the ball 7 out of 10 times and still be an all-star. It’s a matter of putting the last turn at bat behind and pushing forward to the next turn.

Baseball allows for redemption without time constraints. A team can be losing in the last inning of a game with only one strike to go, and make a comeback that is not hampered by a game clock but fueled by determination and perseverance.

But most importantly, baseball is about slowing down, enjoying a beverage and delighting in the sounds of the crack of the bat and pop of the catcher’s mitt.

For all these reasons, I want to see, feel, and experience baseball – and that is why my goal is to visit every baseball stadium and region of the country.

My journey started when I attended my first game in Kansas City in the summer of 1996. The Royals were playing the Baltimore Orioles and I had a chance to see future hall of famer Cal Ripken Jr. Sitting in the upper deck seats at Kauffman Stadium started my more than 20-year journey.

A combination of business, personal travel, and relocation has allowed to visit stadiums all over the United States and Canada. After Kansas City, I traveled to St. Louis to catch another game. In the old stadium you might catch a glimpse of the Gateway Arch. Thankfully in the new stadium, home plate was repositioned and now there is a glorious view of the monument from every corner of the stadium. At that time I was in graduate school in Nebraska, so my stadium visits concentrated mostly in the Midwest.

Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is one of my favorite stadiums. Great pre- and post-game atmosphere and a great baseball tradition in one of the oldest MLB stadiums.

After graduate school, I moved to the Northeast and that allowed me to visit several stadiums in that region. A longtime Mets fan, I visited old Shea Stadium frequently. The most memorable feature of this stadium was the loud noises of incoming airplanes landing at LaGuardia Airport. In the upper deck seats you felt that the airplane was going to land on top of you.

The Mets’ new stadium is a fantastic venue with every food option you can imagine, from fresh sushi to hometown BBQ. The old Yankees stadium had the aura of baseball greatness and any baseball fan could feel the presence of all those great Yankees championship teams. I’m looking forward to visiting the new stadium in the near future.

Each stadium in the region has its own unique charm: Baltimore is a great venue close to the Inner Harbor; the Pittsburgh stadium, the house that Roberto Clemente built, overlooks the city and is a blast to walk to via the bright yellow bridge from downtown; and Boston features the Green Monster outfield fence.

When I moved to Florida to join the faculty at UCF I was able to attend games in the Southeast. The Atlanta Braves’ downtown Olympic stadium was one of the hottest games I ever attended. I look forward to checking out the new Braves’ facilities in Marietta, GA.

In Florida, the Marlins have upgraded their stadium to a baseball-dedicated facility with a retractable roof and a comfortable 70-degree temperature. Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, features a water tank with actual manta rays that you can touch.

Visits to just six of the 30 MLB stadiums – Oakland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Minnesota and Arlington, Texas – will end my quest.

And once I finish, I will begin my next quest – to visit all Spring Training facilities in Florida and Arizona!

Plenty more opportunities to do the seventh-inning stretch, sing “Take Me Out the Ballgame” and continue to reflect on the lessons baseball provides me and how to apply them to my everyday life.

Play Ball!

Fernando I. Rivera is an associate professor in UCF’s Department of Sociology. He can be reached at Fernando.Rivera@ucf.edu.

First-year head coach Greg Lovelady has led the Knights to a 40-20 overall record and captured The American’s regular-season championship. It was the first conference title for the Knights since 2004 when they claimed the ASUN regular-season crown.

“I’m really proud of these guys for all the hard work they’ve put in,” Lovelady said. “For these seniors, some of them who have never been to a regional. One of my big goals as a coach is to make sure that every single player that comes through our program gets this opportunity. These are the things that they’re going to talk about for the rest of their lives.”

After entering The American tournament as the number one seed last weekend, UCF advanced to the semifinal round and recorded its 40th win of 2017 along the way. The last time the Knights won 40 games was also the team’s most recent NCAA Regional appearance, back in 2012 when the Black and Gold came up just short of an NCAA Regional title, falling to Stony Brook in the regional final in Miami.

UCF also brought home several American Athletic Conference awards, including head coach Greg Lovelady as Coach of the Year, senior starter Robby Howell as co-Pitcher of the Year, and newcomer Rylan Thomas as Rookie Position Player of the Year. Five Knights were also named to the all-conference squad.

The Knights have appeared in NCAA Regionals 11 times previously, including seven times in Tallahassee, twice in Gainesville, and once at both Columbia and Miami.

The double-elimination regional tournament is scheduled for June 2-5 at Dick Howser Stadium. The weekend’s winner will then be one of just 16 teams from across the country to advance to the NCAA Super Regional June 9-12. Beginning at 3 p.m. on May 29, fans can click here to purchase tickets via the FSU ticket office.
 

The , the largest in UCF’s history, started in 2011 and seeks to reach the $500 million milestone by June 2019. More than 66,000 people have contributed $274.3 million to date, with much of the support coming from the generous benefactors invited to Friday’s gala.

“It shows an outpouring of support for the university that’s really going to help move us forward in the years ahead,” President John C. Hitt said. “I want to thank each of the donors very sincerely from my heart of hearts for their generosity.”

Philanthropy is critical to the university’s vitality and impact in the community. Investments in students, faculty and game-changing projects lift Central Florida’s economy – in everything from hospitality to medicine – and transform lives and families across our region.

The IGNITE campaign supports three priorities:

Gifts recognized at Friday’s gala include:

The university also honored Orlando hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen for his lifetime of giving to UCF. In addition, Harris Corporation and Texas Instruments were recognized for their support for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The campaign chair is Rick Walsh, a 1977 graduate and former chair of the UCF Board of Trustees.

Over the course of two decades, George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. transformed America’s national pastime from a game of speed into a game of power, from the national pastime to a national institution. The long-ball hitters came to overshadow the base stealers, the bunters, and the hit-and-run artists, while the fans fell in love with the home run.

They also fell in love with Ruth, who delivered home runs at a rate never before seen in baseball.

Some have called Ruth a symbol of his time. He reaffirmed the Horatio Alger success story; he displayed the strength and power of a Paul Bunyan; and he was a rugged individual in the new urban corporate world that demanded conformity. He defied authority and still achieved massive fame and success before he died from cancer in 1948 at the age of 53.

How did he reach this pinnacle, and what does he still mean to us today?

That first home run came at the Polo Grounds in New York, where the Boston Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees. Ruth sent the first pitch he saw in the third inning into the upper stands in right field with 8,000 fans in attendance. Ruth, the Sox pitcher that day, took the loss in extra innings.

A year earlier, at age 19, Ruth had made his debut pitching for the Red Sox, but he only logged 10 at bats that season. He remained in Boston through 1919 and continued to pitch, although each year he played an increasing number of games in the outfield. In 1918 Ruth led the league in home runs with 11. He added a league-leading 29, a new major league single-season record, the following year when he also led the league in runs scored and runs batted in.

Although a very good pitcher, Ruth was an even better hitter and the Red Sox grew dependent on both his arm and his bat. In 1916 he led the American League with the best pitching earned run average and in the 1918 World Series he pitched 29 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings, a record that stood until 1961.

The Babe’s future was not in pitching, but in hitting. When the Yankees purchased him from the Red Sox for $125,000, they were paying for hitting, not pitching.

In 1920 Ruth shattered the home run record with 54 (only one other whole team had more), and bested himself the next season with 59. In 1927 he set a new mark with 60 home runs. He was the first player to reach 30, 40, 50 and 60 home runs in a season, and between 1926 and 1931 he averaged over 50 home runs a season.

The numbers are staggering, and not just in home runs. Ruth led the league in RBIs five times, runs scored eight times, walks 11 times, and on-base percentage 10 times, and he won the batting crown once. As an outfielder he had a strong arm, and base runners didn’t usually challenge him.

In addition to the sharp increase in home runs, Ruth’s career influenced a sharp increase in runs scored per game and batting average all across Major League Baseball. Although there are many reasons given for this change, the most likely explanation is that hitters were swinging for the fences and therefore when they made contact they were hitting the ball not only farther, but also harder than ever. Conversely, there was a steady decrease in stolen bases. In 1916 there were 2.21 stolen bases per game across the major leagues and by 1930 there were only .87 per game.

It is not just the home run for which Ruth is remembered. He was performing his great feats at a time when celebrity was established as a centerpiece in mass culture. Ruth’s fame spread well beyond the diamond, and his personal life became a matter of interest to the general public, not just baseball fans.

The Babe’s off-field antics were widely reported and added considerable volume to the roar of the Roaring Twenties. He became known for his overeating, his high-speed automotive habits, and his general extravagances. Less well known, but equally large, was his appetite for women and alcohol.

The reputation for a wild lifestyle was tempered by stories of his special bond with children. He was often described as a child or childlike, and although he was not an orphan he was generally reported to be orphaned at a young age. It was tempered, too, by the times he publicly acted in the role of the reformed sinner, rededicating himself to baseball and to the children for whom he was a hero.

Ruth’s success brought him a high salary from the Yankees and endless endorsement opportunities in the new world of America’s consumer culture. He was the first baseball player to have an agent/manager, Christy Walsh, who along with the second Mrs. Ruth, Claire, organized Ruth’s off-field business opportunities and managed his wealth. Claire was able to curb some of Ruth’s off-field excesses, and that likely extended the Bambino’s playing career.

In the end, Ruth is a near mythic figure who remains a hero and a wonder across generations of baseball fans, and indeed in the general population.

His name has become an adjective in our language, as we still speak of “Ruthian clouts” and “Ruthian achievements.” Perhaps this cannot be explained fully, but sportswriter Bill McGheehan came close when in 1925 he wrote that Ruth “is our national exaggeration.”��������������������

Ruth, indeed, offered an exaggerated version of individualism, defiance of authority, power, strength, excess, and record-breaking achievements. And he did so while achieving wealth and fame while maintaining his image as the ordinary American.

It is difficult to imagine that anyone could repeat this feat today, a century after the Babe first showed how.

Historian Richard Crepeau is a ����ֱ�� professor whose research interests are 20th century U.S. history, cultural history, and sports history. His latest book is “NFL Football: A History of America’s New National Pastime.” He can be reached at Richard.Crepeau@ucf.edu.

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Skoglund, who was a unanimous choice to the All-AAC First Team, was joined on the squad by junior short stop Tommy Williams. Zach Rodgers, James Vasquez, Dylan Moore, Derrick Salberg, and Sam Tolleson all earned second team honors to give the Knights seven players on the first and second teams.

UCF’s previous high was six players earning First and Second Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors in both 2000 and 2001. Erik Barber added Third Team All-AAC accolades to give the Knights eight all-conference team members on Tuesday.

Skoglund becomes just the second ever conference Pitcher of the Year honoree for the Knights, following Matt Fox who was the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year in 2004. Skoglund holds a 9-2 record and a 2.04 ERA, while leading the league with 92 strikeouts. He has three complete games and was recently named to the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award Watch List.

Rooney was named Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to a 17-7 conference record and a second place finish in The American. UCF’s current record of 34-22 is much improved over last year’s mark of 29-30. The Knights went just 13-11 in Conference-USA a year ago. Rooney joins Jay Bergman (2001, 2002, 2004) as the only UCF skippers to be named conference Coach of the Year.

Williams, who leads the league and is ranked 21st in the nation with 11 home runs, joined Skoglund on the First Team. The short stop has also added eight doubles, a triple, and is second on the team with 44 runs batted in.

Rodgers has played nearly every pitching role possible for the Knights this season. He holds a 6-1 record, has five saves, and is third in the league with a 1.41 ERA. The first baseman, Vasquez is in the Top 10 in The American in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.340, 3rd) and RBIs (50, 2nd).

At second base, Moore leads the Knights and is third in The American with 68 hits. He has also added a team-best 15 doubles. Centerfielder Salberg is second among the Knights with a .315 average, while designated hitter Tolleson is fourth at .286 with three homers.

Barber joins Salberg as Knight outfielders to be honored. The right fielder was selected to third team after a 13-double, five home run regular season.

2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL AWARDS

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jeff Gardner, OF, Louisville (Sr., Louisville, Ky.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Eric Skoglund, LHP, UCF (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

Andrew Lantrip, RHP, Houston (Fr., Livingston, Texas)

Gaby Rosa, RHP, Rutgers (Fr., Perth Amboy, N.J.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR

Terry Rooney, UCF

All-Conference Team

First Team

Pos Name School Cl Hometown

* = Unanimous Selection

Second Team

Pos Name School Cl Hometown

The Knights (25-15, 12-2 American Athletic Conference) topped the Cardinals (27-11, 7-4), 8-2, in the opening contest before returning later in the evening and delivering a walk-off thriller in the nightcap, 4-3, in 11 innings.

“We talked about as a team that the theme today was toughness,” head coach Terry Rooney said after the game. “Today was something different and something new, a weekday doubleheader starting in the middle of the day. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids today. To win a doubleheader against an outstanding Louisville team, every single person did an outstanding job.”

GAME 1 Recap

Skoglund (6-1) shined over the first eight frames as he allowed just four hits and no runs before giving up a pair in the ninth inning. The Sarasota native went 8.2 innings total, allowing eight hits and two runs to go along with a walk and seven strikeouts.

“I was able to throw strikes, pound the zone, and have command of all three of my pitches,” Skoglund said. “Establish my fastball and work my off-speed stuff off that. Sitting in the dugout during the second game was an emotional rollercoaster, but it was definitely awesome we got those two wins. It’s great for our team.”

The Knights struck first in game one without recording a single hit. After junior Dylan Moore (2-for-4, 3 R) led off the game by reaching on an error, Louisville issued three-consecutive free passes to bring in a run. Freshman Matt Diorio was the beneficiary of an RBI on the bases-loaded walk.

Both Skoglund and Cardinals’ starter Kyle Funkhouser (7-2) settled into a groove and put up zeroes over the next six innings before UCF broke the game open with seven runs in the seventh and eighth frames.

After back-to-back singles by Moore and junior Derrick Salberg put two runners on in the seventh, the Cardinals decided to intentionally walk junior James Vasquez (2-for-3, 3 RBI) to load the bases. This would prove costly as Diorio stepped in next and earned his second RBI of the afternoon without taking a swing as he was hit by a pitch with the bags full. Junior Tommy Williams (2-for-4, 2 RBI) then delivered a big two-run single up the middle to put the Knights up 4-0.

Vasquez would put an exclamation point on the victory in the eighth when he crushed his fourth home run of the season, a three-run blast, to right field. UCF’s cleanup hitter has reached base in 30-consecutive games, the longest stretch by any Knight this season.

Redshirt freshman Jarrod Petree came in relief of Skoglund in the ninth got the final out of the game to seal the victory.

GAME 2 Recap

After a 45-minute break to prep the field, the two teams got back to action for game two at approximately 7:20 p.m. After 18 innings of baseball on the day, the two squads decided that was not enough as they went two additional frames in the Black and Gold’s eighth extra-inning contest of the season.

The Knights became the first team this year to score a run off Cardinals’ elite closer Nick Burdi when they walked off in the 11th. After Moore led off the inning by reaching on an error, Burdi uncorked three wild pitches to let the Yorba Linda, Calif., native race home from third and into the arms of his celebrating teammates. It was the first run allowed this season by Burdi in 18.2 innings pitched.

Skoglund’s long outing in the opener provided the Knights’ bullpen with fresh arms as five relievers combined to throw nine innings of two-hit ball in relief of starter Tanner Olson.

Freshman Trent Thompson (1-4) earned his first-collegiate victory after spinning two perfect innings in the 10th and 11th to give the UCF offense an opportunity in its final at-bat.

“My mindset coming in is to throw up a hoop and give us a chance to walk off,” Thompson said. “This year is the first time ever in my playing career being used in a relief role and coming into big pressure roles is something honestly that I love. I just wanted to let our hitters do what they do best, and that’s come through in the clutch.”

Sophomore Zac Favre shutdown a potential threat in the third inning. With two on and none out, the Jacksonville native came into the game and retired the next three Louisville hitters in order to get his team out of a jam.

Trailing 2-0 in the first, junior Erik Barber (1-for-4, 2 RBI) launched his third home run of the season, a two-run jack, over the wall in right to tie the game. Four innings later, the Black and Gold took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Moore than scored junior Jordan Savinon (3-for-3, 1 R). Savinon not only had a nice night at the plate, but he swiped his first-career stolen bases in the contest.

Junior Parker Thomas came up with perhaps the biggest out of the ball game in the ninth. With two on and two out, Louisville brought The American’s leading RBI man, Jeff Gardner, to the plate. Thomas, who was brought in to replace junior Zach Rodgers who allowed an unearned run on one hit in over 2.2 innings pitched, got Gardner to fly out to center to end the threat.

UCF will look to sweep the series as the action concludes tomorrow with 6:30 p.m. start. If the game is unable to be played due to weather, the squads will meet on Saturday at 11 a.m. Sophomore RHP Anthony Kidston will start for Louisville against a to-be-determined starter for the Knights.

Multi-game packages and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the UCFAA Sales & Service Office at (407) UCF-1000. Stay up-to-date on all the latest baseball news by following the team on Twitter @UCF_Baseball, Facebook and Instagram.

This spring, Jessica Walker, Elizabeth Maldonado de Segura and Laura Estupiñan are living at the New York Mets baseball academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, preparing about 80 players for life in the United States.

The UCF students, all part of The Burnett Honors College, spend an hour each day teaching players basic English, including baseball and cultural terminology that will help them understand their coaches and fellow players and adapt to a new life.

To supplement the players’ English lessons, their UCF teachers also host activities to familiarize the athletes with American customs, foods and hobbies. Since the students live at the academy, they eat all of their meals with the players and constantly work on the players’ conversational English.

Walker, a junior studying marketing and nonprofit management, said she’s inspired by the willpower the players put forth every day.

“Each day the players continue to give 100 percent, and even after hours of practice come to my class ready to learn, because they know English is necessary to succeed in the United States. They never give up,” Walker said. “I have tried to embody this same mentality so that I can be a positive role model for my students, and I walk home each day in awe of their persistence and dedication in bettering themselves.”

Like many MLB teams, the Mets were previously using a consulting company to teach English to their academy players but said they weren’t seeing much in terms of academic structure or results.

“I’m very excited about our unique partnership,” said Jon Miller, director of minor league operations for the Mets. “Having UCF students teach English to our players in the Dominican Republic and helping them understand the culture and customs of the United States will be of tremendous help to them as they aspire to succeed in our organization.”

Estupiñan, Maldonado de Segura and Walker are preparing players at the New York Mets baseball academy in the Dominican Republic for life in the United States.

Kelly Astro, director of research and civic engagement for the honors college, said the social activities are beneficial because they introduce players to cities where the Mets have minor league clubs.

“Along with basic American cultural training, our students host events to familiarize the players with life in Las Vegas, Tennessee, Savannah and New York, all places where some of these players may end up while part of the Mets organization,” said Astro, who hopes to have UCF students at the Mets academy every semester.

The UCF students say they’re getting a lesson of their own. The players have reciprocated by giving them “Spanish class” and sharing their language with them. They’ve also learned baseball history.

Maldonado de Segura, a graduate student in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program (TESOL), said she and her fellow Knights have been fortunate to meet and speak with Ozzie Virgil Sr., the first Dominican to play in the major leagues.

“He has the best stories of playing with Jackie Robinson and other baseball legends,” she said, adding that they even got to attend the ceremony for his induction into the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame.

Estupiñan, a senior studying psychology, said her favorite part of the experience is witnessing the students making progress firsthand.

“Seeing where they started and where they are now is amazing,” she said. “They’ll personally come up to us and tell us they love the way we teach and that they learn a lot. It is very rewarding to hear that.”