2014 graduate plays semi-professional basketball internationally, teaches English in South Korea, and goes on numerous other adventures before returning to SU full-time
Written and photographed by Sophia Watson, Managing Editor of Design
Harley Sellinger is a jack of all trades.
An alum and recent hire of the GO Office, Harley has only been back at SU for a short time, but has “already impacted the campus community with his adventurous spirit and welcoming personality,” said Kirsten Weirich, a current SU student.
Looking out the window of his office is the feature of SU’s campus that many associate with it: the GO pole. As it displays many cities from around the world, this could not be more indicative of Harley’s life and career.
His story begins at a carnival- specifically, one that traveled. Growing up in northeastern PA, he spent his summers traveling in a carnival throughout the area. How he got involved is nothing groundbreaking- “it was just what we did. It was normal for me,” said Harley in an interview. Perhaps living on the road with a carnival is what inspired him to travel the world.
Harley’s time at Susquehanna began in the fall of 2011. He graduated in December 2014 with a degree in Spanish. Between these dates, he was heavily involved on campus, both as a student athlete on the basketball team and a brother of Tau Kappa Epsilon. In the spring of his junior year, he spent a semester in Alicante, Spain. “Living abroad changed my life,” he said while encouraging a student he was advising.
While at SU, Harley played basketball in Puerto Rico for several weeks. He was also recruited to play for a professional team in Italy in between his junior and senior year.
After graduating from SU, Harley found a job doing nothing like what he had ever done before- making cold calls selling outdoor equipment. Though he commented that this was not a job he loved, he still excelled at it. “I’m very personable,” he said. “I could sell any piece of equipment I wanted. Even though I’m colorblind!” he joked.
Karla Procopio, the Assistant Director of Leadership and Engagement, had this to say about Harley, “when I came to Susquehanna, I was at the Hawk Hub. He was just so nice. He would always stop and talk to me and ask how I was doing. He would go out of his way to be kind to me.”
Harley’s personable and adaptable skills continued to serve him in life. Shortly after working for the outdoor company, he moved on to something vastly different- teaching English in South Korea. He lived and taught for six years in the city of Daegu. Evidently, this profession and experience impacted him profoundly. His office is adorned with various decorations in Korean, whether this be Pikachu or other insignia. Tattoos of Korean cultural significance nearly cover his arms and legs.
“Korean teaching systems are far different than American teaching systems,” he recalled. Harley spent time teaching young children first before moving on to teach and administrate at Yungchen University.
But Harley did more than just teach. In fact, he played three-on-three semi-professional basketball while living in Daegu. “By the time I left, I was about to be offered a professional contract to stay and play there.” Due to the pandemic, that did not work out. Harley is still immensely grateful for the experience.
Harley had the adventure of a lifetime in South Korea. He traveled all throughout eastern Asia, visiting countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan, just to name a few. Not so much on the bright side, Harley had two surgeries while living there- one because he had a hernia, and the other because he thought he had kidney stones. Harley also lost his wallet not long after arriving in South Korea, so he was on his own with nothing but his passport!
“I told everyone that I was only going to be gone for a year, but I knew that wasn’t true. I ended up staying for five, almost six years,” he said with a smile on his face.
An integral element of his story relates to the city he lived in- Daegu was the second big boom of the coronavirus pandemic. “If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I would never have left,” he recalled fondly. “Living through that experience is something that is quite interesting, and an entirely different experience than what it would have been like back in the U.S.”
During his time living and working in South Korea, Harley met his girlfriend Marcella, a native of Costa Rica. Right after leaving South Korea, he went to briefly live there with her and her family. After this trip, the pair moved back to the U.S.- but not for long. Harley returned to SU for the first time working as the equipment manager for the athletic department.
Alanis Castro-Pacheco, ‘25, had this to say, “Harley used to be my boss freshman year when I worked in the equipment room. I always thought he was super interesting because he would tell me and the other students working there about his adventures playing basketball abroad. He’s always been super open about his love of understanding other cultures and exploring the world. I’ve always admired that about him. Since coming back from my own semester abroad in Spain, I’ve chatted with him about my own experiences and it’s been great to compare our stories. Overall, Harley is a great faculty member on campus that I can chat to and who has great resources for wanting to pursue more cultural immersion!”
It wasn’t long until the travel bug bit him again, and along with Marcella, he moved to Spain once more to teach English. This time, his travels took him to Murcia, a small town in southeastern Spain. While he was teaching abroad, he completed his Masters in Education online at Framingham State University, Michigan.
Now, Harley is immersed in his newest endeavor- working as the GO Programs Coordinator. In this role, he advises students going abroad, coordinates and strategizes certain GO programs, and organizes GO fairs. He also teaches GO classes.
Another new endeavor of Harley’s is becoming a father. On Saturday, Oct. 12, Harley and Marcella welcomed their first daughter.
Surely Harley’s story will inspire students for years to come, no matter their dreams or aspirations.