Sophomore at a Crossroads
HPU's Peyton Luck has a big decision: fame or family
Peyton Luck is specializing in video production as a sports communication major at HPU. (Photo: Bella Blair)
By Ally Patterson
Campus Chronicle
High Point University sophomore Peyton Luck is a college student at a crossroad deciding whether his future career will follow his passions or his family legacy.
Growing up an active athlete and involved student, Luck was always interested in sports and video production. Luck credits his work ethic to his family who supported his dreams while also posing as an inspiration with their century old family car dealership.
“All my life I was raised to value the importance of family while also being taught the importance of following your dreams,” Luck said in a recent interview.
Choosing to follow his dreams at HPU, Luck declared a major in Sports Communications. While Luck has not given up on the idea of one day working alongside his family at their Chevrolet dealership, he is using college to gain experience in video production and sports broadcasting which will prepare him for various career paths he is also interested in pursuing.
“The first time I visited HPU I knew it was the school I wanted to attend. All the resources and opportunities provided for students is unbeatable,” Luck said.
Luck grew up in the small town of Ashland, Va., located slightly north of Richmond. While everyone in his little town and the neighboring areas recognize the Luck family for their dealership, that is not the only thing that Luck wanted to be known for.
“I can’t remember a time in my life when sports wasn’t a part of it,” Luck said. “The cooperation, collaboration, and competitiveness of it all truly shaped who I’ve come to be.”
An active soccer and basketball player since the age of 7, Luck grew his skill set by not only playing his games, but also analyzing others. Following and learning the stats of his local and national teams was a hobby that Luck picked up as a child, and has continued to this day.
“Peyton stayed busy each season with a new sport, and really nothing has
'I can’t remember a time in my life when sports wasn’t a part of it.'
changed,” Carly Luck, Luck’s sister, said. “He still loves to follow professional leagues along with playing on any intramural team that he can.”
Sports only accounted for a fraction of Peyton’s time during his high school years and the rest of it was dedicated to broadcast journalism. Updating his school each morning during their announcements, Luck reported on school events and highlighted school news. He took his reporting a step further and began to create and produce sports packages that he could include on talent reels and enter into competitions.
As Luck’s talent and dedication for this communications field grew, he decided to get first-hand experience within the workforce and started an internship with Chanel 99, a county-wide news source. Interning allowed Luck to realize that he wanted to focus on sports reporting.
“Peyton has a raw talent for reporting, and when he combines that with his knowledge of sports it’s truly something special,” Patrick Henry High School teacher said.
Aside from his communication and athletic endeavors, Luck began to learn the ways of his family's business by starting from the very bottom - washing the cars. This not only provided him with a job that granted him spending money but taught him an important lesson that all of his relatives had learned from their elders in the past.
“Just because we own the dealership doesn’t mean my family will just hand me a job one day,” Luck said. “ I have to work hard and prove that I’ve earned my
At a Glance
Hometown: Ashland, VA
Major: Sports Communication
Honor: Media Fellow
Job: HPU Ambassador
Experience: Chanel 99 TV, Ashland, Va., high school internship
position and earned a job, just as it goes with any other company.”
Due to the ideals that were instilled in Luck from a young age, HPU’s dedication to creating well-rounded individuals in society appealed to him. Once enrolled he quickly became involved by joining the Media Fellow program, helping with Sports-link and becoming a Student Ambassador for the school.
Luck finds inspiration in the professors that teach him because of their backgrounds as working professionals in the industries for which they are now teaching. The close relationships he has formed with his mentors is allowing for guidance through the decision of what steps Luck should take next.
“Hoping to one day be employed at a world-renowned sports media outlet to either broadcast sporting events or write and report on national and international sporting news,” Luck said on his website.
For more about Luck’s work, visit his website at epluck.wixsite.com/mysite or view his Facebook at www.facebook.com/peyton.luck.