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Soccer Grad Makes a Concrete Difference
By Jadell M. Forman (Class of 1990)
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It's hard to believe that someone like Flores who struggled with the language not only mastered it, but also thrived so much in his new culture that he made a substantial difference in the lives of his family back home. More on that later....
The 1997 fall semester unveiled more foreign experiences for Flores, particularly in lively chapel services. "I'm a Catholic. I'm not used to clapping, laughing, jumping around." Specifically, he recalls a Benny Hinn revival as being "really, really weird" compared to the traditions of his faith. With all the cheering from the audience, Flores assumed Hinn was "some kind of rock star" instead of a minister. And when, according to Flores' translator, Hinn kept yelling, "Fire! Fire!", Flores anxiously looked for the exit.
But he stuck around...for four years. During that time Flores found a closer connection to God, chalked up soccer accolades for himself and his team, and earned a degree in international business. The net result was "big-time" changes Flores had never imagined during his upbringing, which included a promising athletic future in Bolivia.
"Carlos was a potentially professional player," says ORU men's soccer coach Steve Hayes. By the time ORU learned of Flores, he was a goal scorer at the national level for Tahuichi, the world-famous soccer academy. Providing a positive opportunity for underprivileged boys and girls, Tahuichi "uses soccer as a classroom for life," explains Hayes.
For Flores, soccer runs in the family. His father coached as part of the national soccer team staff. But in Bolivia, paychecks are unpredictable. Flores explains, "He worked four months and got paid one."
"I never thought to come to the United States," Flores says, citing his destitute situation. "I had no money...even for a flight." Through a connection with a Tahuichi sports doctor, Hayes heard about Flores, went to Bolivia, and recruited him for the final two years of his NCAA eligibility.
In 1998 and 1999, Flores led ORU in scoring and into the 1999 NCAA tournament, reports Coach Hayes. Recognizing his skill and team contributions, the Mid-Continent Conference named him to All-Conference First Team both seasons.
After graduation, Flores continued to lead in the workplace, taking the quantity of his Tulsa employer's Hispanic clientele "from negligible to significant," according to Hayes. But things weren't going so well for Flores family members back in Bolivia.
Señor Flores lost his job, and eventually the family lost their house and car. So, son Carlos did what ORU taught him to do: make a difference. With earnings from his new job in Tulsa, he paid for the construction of a new home for his family.
Next, Flores started to build a home life for himself here in the United States. Finally having time to date, he met and married Georgina Allende in December 2004. Today they have a son, Carlos Maricio Flores, and plan to stay in the U.S. "This is my son's country. I want a good education for my baby. He can go to ORU."
Still enthused about ORU, Flores continues to help other soccer players from Tahuichi come to ORU and, after graduation, find good jobs in this area. This has had a positive effect on the Athletics department; Hayes calls the Tahuichi connection "one of the best pipelines we could've ever hoped for," providing strong soccer players for the university.
Overall, Flores credits his time at ORU for improving his life. "I'm a better person." And others would agree.
"He's the real deal," says Coach Hayes. "Carlos has always had a reverence for the church...but he has a more dynamic faith since his time here. Carlos is truly grateful for the opportunity ORU provided him."
Flores concludes, "God had a way for me here." And now it seems God has a way for Flores to finally, this Christmas, visit his family in Bolivia, introduce them to his wife and son, and see the house he built.
