Carlos is USP's Marketing and Events Coordinator. As the backbone of the company, he makes sure the USP machinery works to the highest efficiency. His ideas and attention to detail are just one of the many contributions that he brings to the success of USP.

This is the sixth interview of a series we did to all our staff members, we want you to really get to know us, understand who we are, where we come from and why are we so passionate about college athletics and helping young students and athletes secure their future.

USP: Tell us about your background. Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Carlos: I was born and raised in a beautiful city called Valencia, at the industrial heart of Venezuela. This was a type of city that does not exist anymore, many things have changed, but my hometown and its culture had a profound impact on my life and personality, including the fact that the circumstances in which I was raised are no longer there, which makes me grateful for the present and my past.

USP: Where did you go to college?
Carlos: I got my Bachelor in Business Administration at the Universidad de Carabobo, an institution that was embroidered with my family in many ways. When I graduated from High School I wasn't even considering looking at other options, I imagined myself not only attending the Universidad de Carabobo but hopefully one day becoming a professor of that institution, just like my parents, many of my aunts and uncles and my grandfather.

Then I got my Masters in Sports Management at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Valencia, Spain), where I learned the challenges and amazing potential of the sports business.

USP: Who have been your strongest influences in life?
Carlos: Many people, my mother, and father to start with, they made me who I am in any possible way you can think of and I'm forever grateful for everything they have done for me to this day. My wife, who I admire and know since I was 17 years old is a big influence for me.

Now, I would like to mention someone responsible for my passion for sports, sport management, and particularly baseball. My godfather Carlos Alvarado, or "Charlie" how we call him. Thank you Charlie for showing me the world of sports when I was a small child and sharing your passion with me.

USP: What led you to this career? How did you end up at USP?
Carlos: I was looking for a job and I was determined to find something in Sports and Sports only. I found an old job post from USP about a Marketing position, Thomas at the moment wasn't even aware that the post was still active, but he was open to meet me and see what could happen, I started a few days after that meeting.

USP: What is your proudest experience since working with USP?
Carlos: I would say the moment we finished the 2015 Winter Showcase. It was a very hard event to run, I was just starting and I got this responsibility to coordinate the logistics of our most important event of the year, there was a storm coming so at the last minute we had to change the schedule, that only helped for a couple of hours, it rained in-and-out both days.

We did an incredible effort as a team to keep the event going and provide a good experience for players and coaches. In the end, everyone was happy, people approached our team to thank us and congratulate us for the success, I remember the moment when everything ended, we sat down, we look at each other in recognition of everyone's efforts and felt very proud.

USP: What is the main mistake you see in the recruiting process?

Carlos: I would say that a lack of Intentionality, you can see from the start wich prospective student-athletes are going to achieve great things and are not because of their athleticism or talent. It’s their intentionality, being intentional towards becoming a successful student-athlete in every action and every aspect of your life makes a huge difference.

When students don't have that focus and are not coherent with their actions and this goal, everything becomes a challenge and the results are very different.

USP: Can you tell us about one (or two) Client story you will never forget.
Carlos: I don't work directly with too many students, so they all leave a mark, but I would like to mention Anabella Baralt, from Venezuela, her story is inspiring.

She embodied the Intentionality I mentioned before, she wasn't the most talented player, her family didn't have the resources to provide her with traveling opportunities, tournaments or even high-performance training, and on top of all, she started playing tennis very late in comparison to the average player. But Anabella compensated that with focus and determination, pouring her heart to everything she did, we helped her just a little bit, providing orientation and the knowledge they needed and she did the rest.

Anabella is a strong and kind young woman that knows what she wants in life and goes for it. I feel very proud to be part of her story.

USP: What is your most important advice for a student and for the parent?
Carlos: Do not believe everything people say about scholarships, recruiting services, professional sports, etc. Don't think that other experiences will apply to your family or your student the same way. Every case is different, nothing is impossible but nobody is entitled to anything, so get the advice of an expert and make sure you build a plan specifically tailored to your goals and needs.

When asked for a short bio for the USP website, this is how Carlos described himself:
Sports are my passion but sporting events and the business of sports it's what I love to do, at USP I can do both while helping young student-athletes to secure their future at the same time.

Thank you, Carlos!