Staying Connected: Valentin Credits Wake Forest for Personal & Professional Success
6/21/2022 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
Julian Valentin will be on Wake Forest’s Reynolda campus visiting with student-athletes, coaches and staff this week as a part of Athletics partnership with Opendorse.
Right time, right place.
Julian Valentin became a Demon Deacon in 2004 and was part of the class that took Wake Forest men's soccer to the pinnacle of the sport while claiming an NCAA Championship as a senior in 2007.
Fast forward to about a year ago, Valentin became head of brand and athlete marketing for Opendorse — a company that was launched in 2012 that exists to make every athlete – from preps to pros – more accessible to the people who support them.
"I am so energized by what we're doing," Valentin said. "I love the mission and I love helping student-athletes. I've enjoyed reconnecting with people I'd known for a long time and helping to move this industry forward. It's been a great opportunity for me.
"I think the sky's the limit for our company and how we can help within the Name Image Likeness space as well. It's been a year since I have come aboard and I know the best is yet to come."
It was the perfect time for a change for Valentin, who had worked for nearly 11 years in the Colorado Rockies front office, most recently as the director of brand management and social media.
"They believed in me at a time when my resume wasn't maybe the strongest and I didn't have as much experience," Valentin said. "They gave me an opportunity to grow and develop, and I'm forever grateful for that.
"I just needed to refocus and invest more time in my family. The opportunity with Opendorse came up, and that's a company I'd always known and respected for what they do. It was the perfect opportunity and perfect time to make it happen. It was the only place I would have wanted to go. Things fell together perfectly."
Working with Opendorse has allowed Valentin the opportunity to work directly once again with his friends at Wake Forest, as director of athletes John Currie works to ensure Demon Deacon student-athletes are positioned to provide a World Class Student-Athlete Experience.
"It's been really special to reconnect with a lot of people on campus who I care a lot about," Valentin said. "It's been awesome to be in this new iteration of my relationship with the school I care so much about. I was on the call the other day and (associate AD, community and alumni relations) Dwight Lewis was on the call. Just seeing his face and being able to chat meant a lot to me. It's been really cool."
Valentin met his wife, former Wake Forest women's soccer player Kristen (Kemp) Valentin, on his recruiting visit to campus and the two remained friends throughout their time together at Wake Forest. They collectively have stayed in tune and connected to their respective programs.
"I've stayed connected, but this is a new era of this relationship, and it's something where I can help student-athletes in their journey," Valentin said. "It's been really fun and I'm excited about the future.
"I wouldn't be who I am as a person or a professional without my time at Wake Forest. It was transformational for me, entering school at the age of 17 after living somewhat of a sheltered life."
By sheltered life, Valentin points to his time as a teenager in the U.S. Soccer residency and on the campus of IMG Academy.
"I didn't have a real high school experience," he said. "Going to Wake Forest really helped me grow up and find out who I was. Having the support with an incredible staff, coaches and teammates who cared about me was extremely influential in developing who I am today.
"The relationships I formed at Wake Forest have carried me through life. It's part of who I am every step of the way. It truly is that family atmosphere that sticks with you even after you leave."
Over the course of Valentin's career in Winston-Salem, the Deacs went from competing for conference championships and a couple wins in the NCAA Tourney to winning the College Cup.
"I'm just proud of how our class could serve as the link between the first era of Wake Forest soccer to what it is now," Valentin said. "Before I got there, Wake Forest was turning into that national power that can compete year-in and year-out to have a strong national presence.
"That's something I am really proud of. I'm excited for the next set of trophies to be won and I can't wait for them to win the big one again."
It was the entire community at Wake Forest that helped Valentin thrive in Winston-Salem and beyond. He earned All-ACC and preseason All-American honors as an upperclassman for Wake Forest, and was considered one of the top defenders on the national championship Demon Deacons.
"When I got to Wake Forest and understood the value of education and what it meant to be a student-athlete, that's what I loved and what resonated with me," Valentin said. "I was an English major and was involved in as many extracurriculars as I could be.
"I always wanted to be in a community where I could walk across campus and recognize most everybody I saw. I didn't want to be an anonymous face. I wanted to connect. Those were real relationships that mattered and carried over to all facets of my life."
