Fans of Binghamton Athletics will see the latest installment of our feature videos when they watch a two-part series with former baseball standout Scott Diamond (here). What they won't see is the series of events that made the interview possible.

Backtrack to 2013, when I was contacted by former communications assistant Anthony Naglieri, who had begun working for Cultural Vistas, a non-profit company in Washington D.C. that specialized in creating exchange opportunities for scholar students in South Korea. The program, called Korea WEST (Work, English, Study, Travel), is part of a mutual diplomatic partnership between the two governments to foster positive relations and create valuable opportunities for talented young South Korean men and women. Anthony was looking to expand the list of host sites in the United States and I agreed to welcome an intern into our Binghamton athletics family. After she spent six months taking English classes in D.C., Solbyol Kim came to Binghamton to begin her six-month internship. One of the first big events she worked was our Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. That year, Diamond was inducted on the heels of his advancement to the highest level of baseball as a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. 

After such a positive experience with the professionals at Cultural Vistas and the wonderfully rewarding six months with Solbyol, I decided to continue the relationship as a host site for Korea WEST interns. We welcomed Jaeyuk (Jake) Lim to our office in 2014-15, then Youngwoo Kim (2015-16), Seungho Choi (2016-17) and now Hayoung Noh (2017-18). Each intern was a scholar student who was handpicked for us through a challenging selection process, both in their country and through the Cultural Vistas' vetting process. We all wanted to make sure that we placed each individual in an environment that they could be comfortable in and flourish ... and they all have. Some of my proudest professional moments have been witnessing the determination and personal growth of these remarkable young men and women.  They came to Binghamton with considerable video skills but each had to overcame cultural and language barriers and homesickness to become valuable contributors to our communications team. Along the way our friends have taught us so many lessons, in video production and editing but more importantly, about embracing challenge, opportunity and making our world just a little smaller. 

Now fast forward to spring of 2017, when Diamond, a scholar in his own right, signed a pro contract to play for SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). An engineering student back at Binghamton, Diamond is a cerebral man who is socially-minded and always has his eyes open to worldly experiences. He embraced a move to a country where he must assimilate and learn the language and culture, through sports. Back in Binghamton, Seungho Choi was wrapping up his internship with us and I asked him if he would consider one final assignment. Upon his return to Korea, I wanted him to seek out Diamond and conduct a 1-on-1 interview. 

What followed was a special collaboration. After easily navigating the Wyverns website (written in Korean), current intern Hayoung contacted the team's public relations personnel and requested the interview. I formulated the questions, cleared the request through Scott and Hayoung began working with Seungho to schedule the meeting. With Diamond's accommodating nature and Seungho's thorough detail, we had a two-part interview that touched on many subjects, including the birth of Diamond's son and his own challenges living in a far-away country. Hayoung put the finishing touches on the video back in our office and we posted it to our Youtube account this week. 

So the story of Binghamton's star pitcher adjusting to life in South Korea was told by two South Korean interns who have adjusted to life in Binghamton. Such wonderful symmetry.

I hope you enjoy the videos!