Graduate uses his education to make a difference at Hood College

 

(Conor Prachar ’12 coaching during a soccer game. Photo courtesy of Hood College Athletics)

 

 

Conor Prachar ’12 applies the lessons he learned as a student to his job positions at Hood

 

The goal of Hood College is to prepare its students to meet the challenges they will face in their future careers after graduation. By graduation, the Hood alumni will be prepared for lives of “responsibility, leadership and service.”

 

Hood alumni have exceled in many different career paths locally, nationally, and even internationally.

 

Others have chosen to continue their relations with their alma mater by taking career positions within the institution.

 

Conor Prachar ’12 is one of the many graduates who chose to prolong his stay at Hood College by obtaining not one, but two positions at the school. He is managing both positions while perusing his Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, also at Hood.

 

Conor, who is a former member of the Hood College Men’s Soccer team, accepted a graduate assistant coaching position, which allows him to coach while pursuing his MBA.

 

Despite the busy workload, he took a second position as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, because he wanted a job that would allow him to stay in the Hood College system after grad school.

 

“I feel my dual roles complement each other well, and I wouldn’t change them for anything,” Conor stated.

 

Originally from Neptune, New Jersey, Prachar believes that fate brought him to Hood.

 

“I stumbled across Hood more than anything else,” he explained.

 

Prachar explained that he made an impromptu visit to Hood on the way home from visiting colleges in North Carolina and Virginia, in order to break up the seven hour drive back to his home in New Jersey.

 

He felt that the campus was warm and inviting and felt at home as soon as he walked on campus.

 

For Prachar, academic standards were a top priority when choosing a college, and he felt that Hood fit the mold he was looking for.

 

Conor, who’s been involved in soccer for almost 20 years, said that the athletic program also played a major part in his decision to attend Hood College.

 

He played on the men’s soccer team all four years, and used his leadership qualities to help guide his teammates on and off the field. He continues to use these qualities as a coach.

 

Danny Battle, a current freshman and member of the soccer team, explained that Prachar provided him with a lot of guidance and did an outstanding job in his first season coaching the Blazers.

 

“I think he learned a lot from us, just as we did from him. I believe he will

continue to grow as a great coach down the road because he has all the

intangibles a coach needs,” Battle explained.

Prachar feels that his Hood education has had an outstanding effect on

his coaching abilities, and allows him to relate well to the athletes on his

team.

 

In the beginning, he felt that it was relatively strange coaching students

who were his former teammates. He believes that his fairly easygoing

personality becomes more intense when he steps on the field as a coach,

and he joked that it was a bit surprising to some of the upperclassmen.

 

Prachar explained that knowing his former teammates on a personal basis,

has allowed him to determine the best form of communication for each player

  Conor Prachar ’12  (Photo courtesy of Hood)

and individualize his coaching methods.

 

He explained that his favorite part about the coaching position is recruiting new athletes. He sees it as a way to share his passion for Hood with perspective students and their families.

 

“Telling stories of my life as a student athlete ensures that I will never lose the great memories I have created while at Hood,” Conor said.

 

While coaching and pursuing his MBA, Prachar also holds the position of Administrative Assistant in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

 

He feels that his undergraduate management degree has thoroughly prepared him for this position and feels that he could not do his job nearly as well without the knowledge he acquired at Hood.

 

“The time management and organization skills that I learned as a Management major have definitely translated into my work life,” he stated. “I feel the professors in that department have prepared me for just about any work situation I could ever find myself in.”

He is seen as a hard worker who is admired by both students and faculty.

 

“Conor is an extremely hardworking person who has extraordinary passion about Hood and everything he does in his job,” said Travis Kerr, a student who works closely with him as a member of STARS.

 

Prachar is an extraordinary example of a product of Hood College and will continue to demonstrate all the important lessons he learned in his work on the soccer field, in the office, and in all other aspects of his life.

 

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