Alumni Profile: Heather Comero ‘99
Catching the Olympic Spirit
For most of us, a trip to the Olympics would be a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. For Heather Comero ’99, it’s part of the job. As an Olympic program manager for Jet Set Sports, Heather plans, coordinates and implements hospitality programs for worldwide Olympic partners, sponsors and suppliers, national Olympic committees, corporations and VIP individuals. "Experiencing the Olympic spirit firsthand with people from all over the world is an amazing thing,” she says. "London 2012 will be my fourth Olympic Games, and I am so excited to witness another Opening Ceremony where thousands of people cheer as the athletes march into the stadium. Seeing so much national pride and respect towards everyone around you is just incredible.”
Heather has long been interested in sports, and she has fond memories of her time as an athlete at Breck, where she was a member of a swim team that won conference and section titles and took fourth at the state tournament in 1997. "I have always loved watching and playing sports,” she reflects. "That’s another reason why I love working with the Olympics!”
She says Breck prepared her in many different ways. She used her academic strengths to graduate from St. Olaf College in three years and says she gained confidence as a participant in individual and team sports. "But the skill that benefitted my career the most,” she says, "was learning Mandarin Chinese. It has opened so many doors.” Living and working in Beijing for two years in preparation for the 2008 Olympics was one of those doors, as was Heather’s time in Shanghai, where she worked on the 2010 World’s Fair. Even so, Heather notes that her time in Margaret Wong’s classroom wasn’t always easy. "She was my toughest teacher at Breck,” she recalls. "I was not her best student, but she pushed me to do better and in return I gained a very important life skill.” Says Margaret, "It doesn’t surprise me that Heather has been so successful in her career. She was a student who always knew what interested her, and she pursued it with passion, determination and admirable work ethic. She has also been so loyal to her alma mater and former teacher by staying in touch with me, offering any assistance she can on my China trips.”
Staying connected to Breck has been important to Heather, even though she hasn’t physically been here in quite some time. "I haven’t been to the campus in years as I have been traveling and living in so many places,” she reports. "But I did join the alumni trip in Beijing for dinner, and it was a great time to share life experiences with other former Breckies.”
