Sean Hurley
T-Bird Sport: Golf (2006-2008)
Degree: BSc 2009 (Environmental Sciences)
Current Profession/Employer: Resident Physician – Emergency Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority. 

Why did you choose to study/play at UBC?
I wanted to stay in Canada and I chose UBC for the combination of high-quality academics and an excellent golf program. 

Favourite T-Bird memory:
Winning both the NAIA and Canadian National Championships in back-to-back weeks during my senior year with an incredible group of teammates and coaches. 

Favourite place on campus:
The Pit Pub! Jogging in Pacific Spirit Park is a close second.

What was your first job after graduation?
Coaching junior golf camps. 

What advice do you have for current student-athletes?
Embrace being a student athlete. It is not easy to balance athletics, academics, and social life – and there's a good chance one of them will suffer at times. Learning how to balance everything is probably the best education you will get during your undergrad years. 

What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career?
During undergrad, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My advice is to study hard – good grades will keep doors open and poor grades will close them.  

Keep an open mind and ask lots of questions about others' career paths.  

Do you have a mentor?  How have they influenced you?
I have been fortunate to have many mentors throughout my life at various stages. I'm a firm believer that you need different mentors for different phases and aspects of your life. Seek them out and check in often.

How and where do you find inspiration? 
My biggest inspiration and mentor is my twin brother Kevin, who tragically died in a cycling accident in 2016. He was an incredible guy. He taught me many lessons. Firstly, try and have a positive outlook – life's too short for negativity. Secondly, connect often with friends and family – foster these relationships. Thirdly, never stop improving and getting better. I try to live my life in a way that would make him proud. 

How have you used your varsity athletic experience in your current career/life?
I use my varsity athletic experience all the time.

Emergency medicine has many parallels with sport. 
    • It is very much a team sport with constant interactions with other physicians, nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, patients and their families.

Effective, honest communication and accountability are key. Trust is everything.
    • As in sport, there are inevitably going to be bad outcomes. I've learned to deal with failure through sport. Focusing on the process and learning from the losses is challenging but part of getting better.
    • In emerg, there are many high stress, high stakes moments when dealing with critically ill patients. I use a lot of the same strategies to optimize my performance – visualize, self-talk, breathing techniques, etc.

What are your books/movie suggestions?
"Inner Excellence" by our former performance coach, Jim Murphy. His new edition was just launched in May.

What are your go-to songs and podcasts?
Anything by George Strait or Brooks and Dunn.
Podcasts – Spittin Chiclets and boring, medical educational podcasts

Can you share any new quarantine hobbies/goals?
Spending time with my two boys!!! Kenny (3) and Tommy (1).

What question would you ask other T-Birds/mentors?
Let's schedule another reunion!

How can other alumni/student-athletes connect with you?
Would love to hear from alumni and current athletes; email me!