The English word magnanimous blossomed from the Latin root "magna anima", which means "great souled". The magna anima series on jcusports.com seeks to highlight great souls of John Carroll Athletics both past and present. Chapter 2 will focus on former John Carroll student athletes who have dedicated their lives to teaching and education.





Some things in life change, others always remain constant. Patrick Hurley has seen both in the years of his life, personally and professionally.
 
He was raised in Youngstown, Ohio, where he attended Boardman High School. His life was revolved around swimming as he was on the swim team, served as a life guard, and coached swim as well.
 
Being a part of the swim team was a large aspect of his decision to come to John Carroll. He had friends on the swim team already and saw their experience as one he wanted as well. Beyond those friends, Patrick had many other relatives and friends that attended John Carroll and wanted to have the same experiences they did.

It also helped that the size of the school as well as the quality of teachers and professors he met fit his eye.
 
Swimming was a large part of his life for as long as he can remember.

"I started swimming when I was very young," he said, "I can't remember not being able to swim and was always on the summer swim teams and the YMCA team. I knew that my life was better and I was more disciplined when I was swimming." 

This continued at John Carroll, where he was a four-time letterwinner and two-time team captain for the Blue Streaks (in the picture to the left, he is the one standing on the shores of Lake Erie at the far left). As a senior, Patrick captained the team to a third place finish at the 1988 Presidents' Athletic Conference championships. He qualified for the finals in four events that year, and finished fourth in the grueling 1650 freestyle.
 
Patrick came into John Carroll looking to purse one particular major but came to a quick realization that another path was waiting.

"Initially, I thought I would be an accountant but I didn't enjoy any of the coursework," recalled Hurley. "I enjoyed my English classes at John Carroll and that led to changing my major and eventually becoming a high school English teacher."
 
Switching his major helped Patrick thrive in school, especially when he was in season.

"I always did better in school during the swim season," Hurley said. "We had to swim in the morning and in the afternoon, but it seemed like I was more focused and could concentrate better when we were in season."
 
This caused Patrick to continue competing in the sport he loved throughout his life.

"For this reason, I have done masters swimming consistently since I moved to California in 1993."
 
After graduation, Patrick moved to California to pursue teaching. His career in education started out at the middle school level as a teacher but he moved to high school soon after.

"I moved to a high school position in Oceanside where I coached both the swim and water polo team," said Hurley. "After six years of teaching and living in Southern California, I moved to San Francisco where I taught English at Mountain View High School for 12 years. I then moved into the nonprofit education sector where I helped to develop partnerships between graduates schools of education and large, urban school districts. During this time, I taught in the Stanford Graduate School of Education's STEP program (a nationally renowned 12-month full time program preparing future teacher leaders at the elementary and secondary levels)."
 
He now is a principal in San Mateo county, and he is still swimming.

"I am currently the principal at Foster City Elementary School in San Mateo county, just south of San Francisco where I still live. I now swim for the College of San Mateo Masters Swim Team."

it just so happens that the San Mateo Masters is a USMS Masters Swim Team with over swimmers ranging from ages 18-95, and is recognized as the first Masters Swim Team in the United States.

Patrick says his greatest accomplishment thus far is improving instruction for adolescent English Language Learners by supporting the teachers that he has worked with over the years.

He credits not just John Carroll, but also his education as a whole to the success of his career.

"I had access to high quality education throughout my life and have been extremely lucky to work at places like El Camino High School in Oceanside, Mountain View High School in Mountain View CA, the SERP Institute (located at the National Academy of Sciences, SERP was founded in 2003 to bridge the worlds of education research, practice, and design) and now Foster City Elementary School, Hurley said. "I've surrounded myself with innovative professionals who have selflessly shared with me their skills and knowledge."
 
John Carroll, though, was a definitive part of Patrick's journey.

"I felt like JCU's School of Education was instrumental in forming my thinking about teaching and learning," Hurley said. "The teacher education program had an emphasis on teaching for a democratic society, including empowering students to make choices. I had a good education and initially thought that I could just replicate that experience for young people. It had not occurred to me that schools would play a larger role in issues around equality and social justice —  and that what worked for me as a student was neither accessible nor appropriate for large numbers of young people that I would encounter throughout my career. In the early 90s, JCU was asking us to think about this as we began our practice, and I'm grateful for this shift in perspective as it helped me to be a more effective educator."
 
While his major and his perspective may have been altered for the good, Patrick's love for swimming, education, and John Carroll have remained a constant throughout he years.

Some things just never change.