GSMP Mentor Profile: Alicia McConnell, USOC

“I’m alive because I feel compelled to make a difference every day.”

That’s Alicia McConnell, Director of Training Sites and Community Partnerships at the U.S. Olympic Committee, based in Colorado Springs.

McConnell has served as a Mentor for the Global Sports Mentoring Program since its inception in 2012, when she mentored Hermine E’Gairma from Rwanda. In 2013, she served as a Mentor to Majidah Nantanda from Uganda. Since then, the program has grown tremendously, and her commitment to empower women through sports has not wavered.

“I just feel like I get so much from giving back and that’s definitely what gets me up (in the morning), to know that you’re putting a smile on a kid’s face or a twinkle in a kid’s eye – just creating opportunities for people across the country and the globe.”

This year, she will mentor Deniz Cengiz from Turkey. Read more about Deniz here.