CCAA Hometown Heroes is a look at current and former CCAA student-athletes and staff who are now on the front lines in the worldwide fight against COVID-19.  Individuals from CCAA member institutions have answered the call to help battle the pandemic, whether it be in the field of healthcare, as a first responder, through volunteer efforts or a variety of other essential services being performed throughout communities around the state and globe. 

Today we hear from Orange County Fire Authority firefighter and Cal State San Bernardino men’s soccer alumnus, Lee Nishanian. 

A defender for the Coyotes from 2010-13, Nishanian was a three-time All-CCAA selection from his perch on the pitch and helped Cal State San Bernardino to an NCAA tournament appearance in his first year. After his junior campaign, he was tapped as the CSUSB Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. Following his senior season, Nishanian earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors after earning a spot on the All-CCAA and All-West Region team. He went on to compete with LA Galaxy II after earning his health sciences degree from Cal State San Bernardino in 2014. When he hung up his cleats, Nishanian embarked on a path to firefighting.

Working with the Orange County Fire Authority, Nishanian and his colleagues are protecting nearly 2 million residents from its 79 fire stations located throughout the county. As always, they are serving the community by responding to emergency calls with a common goal of being a calming influence to families during their time of crisis, which rings especially true during the current pandemic. 

Nishanian has been able to focus on the small things in 2020, finding a renewed appreciation for family, and treating all those he serves with a familial feel.

“It has taught me to appreciate spending time with loved ones and seeing how little we need to be happy,” he notes. “[My motivation to help is] treating others like they're family. There is joy in knowing you were able to help someone, no matter how big or small.”

“Being able to participate as part of a team” is something that Nishanian has been able to take and translate from his time playing soccer at Cal State San Bernardino into his profession in the public sector. 

”Everyone has a job to do and collectively we can contribute towards achieving our goal, which in this case is keeping everyone safe.”

The CCAA salutes Lee and the firefighting community keeping us all safe, and all of our CCAA Hometown Heroes!

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