O'Quinn's love for soccer helps make a positive impact in youth development

Luke O’Quinn (BSSW ’13) who was recently featured in on the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) website.

As the director of Sports Leadership and the LAFC Youth Leadership Program at the Bresee Foundation, O’Quinn has a strong passion for soccer which has helped him make a positive impact in youth development in Los Angeles.  The LAFC Youth Leadership Program hires, trains and empowers high school students to be community leaders and coaches.

When at the college, O’Quinn worked as a program coordinator for the LiFEsports initiative where he led the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), a leadership development program focusing on college and career readiness and serving about 60 high school Columbus youth ages for 15- to 18-years-old. O’Quinn was also one of the first students involved with LIFEsports, received The Ohio State University Staff Award for Excellence in Community Service in 2016, and is currently a college Alumni Society Board member.

O’Quinn’s work with community and youth served as the perfect segway to working with the Bresee Foundation and LAFC.

“I know there are many other leadership programs out there, but we’re unique in empowering high school leaders and giving them a great deal of responsibility as the facilitators and coaches of the younger kids,” says O’Quinn. “I’ve learned that when we believe in them, the young people will rise to the challenge. And of course, they’re not alone in the process; we put in much effort to support them to be leaders in their community before they become leaders in the world.”