Sean O'Keefe is a sophomore track and field and cross country athlete at the University of San Diego and majors in software engineering. Sean is originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, and has known he wanted to go to California since the start. Once he got this amazing opportunity he took it and has been doing amazing things since. 

1. Why did you want to go to California?

Since I was young, I felt drawn to California because of the nice weather. As I got older, I wanted to go because of the work opportunities, since San Diego, LA, and San Francisco are 3 of the top 10 cities for engineers to get hired after college. As a track and field and cross country athlete, California is also one of the best places to be since the weather is great for training year-round. 

2. Was it hard looking at colleges since you knew you wanted to go far?

Not at all. Since California has so many great schools for engineering and running, I had my work cut out for me and it was very easy to make a list of schools to apply and reach out to.

3. Did you reach out to the USD coach or did they reach out to you?

I had to reach out to him. USD has a very small program, and my coach recruits mainly out of California. He probably would not have noticed me unless I contacted him. However, there are many schools in California that have larger programs and reach out to high school runners all over the country. I was contacted by a few coaches without reaching out to them, so the distance only affected my recruiting process because of USD's recruiting process specifically.

4. How is the balance of school, running, and being so far away from home?

At first, it was really difficult to be so far away from home and my family. School and running actually helped this become easier because I stayed busy doing things that I love. San Diego quickly became like a second home to me, so I don't really feel the distance too much anymore. I made a schedule to call my close family members at least once a week, and that has helped as well.

5. Is the program a lot different from high school?

Yes, it is much more intense and time-consuming. Practices are longer, lifts are harder, and I spend way more time with my team. It feels much more like a large part of my life, rather than an extracurricular. 

6. Do you feel that the University of San Diego has what you need to succeed on the track and in the classroom?

Yes, we are a very well-rounded program and I feel so supported as both an athlete and a student. We have a great system for scholar-athlete counseling and tutoring, and our practice schedule works around our class schedules. Professors are also very understanding of the added stress and lack of extra time that athletes have and are always willing to support us.

7. What do you wish you knew while going through the recruiting process?

I wish that I knew to reach out more instead of waiting to hear from coaches. I now understand that it's important to advocate for yourself and make yourself stand out, and I did not fully understand that in high school.