Today, Captain Connor Clancy ’16 stands on the other side of formation, guiding first-year cadets at the United States Air Force Academy through one of the most demanding seasons of their lives. As an instructor of history, he teaches a freshman course titled The History of Modern Warfare, but his hopes for them extend well beyond academic mastery.

“I don’t expect all of them to be history majors or get A’s in my class,” he says. “What’s important to me is you could walk away from my class this freshman year and this Academy four years later, having learned a thing or two about yourself, about life, how to navigate stress, and also a deeper understanding of why you’re at the United States Air Force Academy.”

For Connor, the work of forming young men and women of character feels deeply familiar. “There are so many parallels,” he says, reflecting on the connection between the Academy and his years at Servite. Though one institution is secular and the other Catholic, both demand discipline, reliance on others, and a willingness to grow through challenge. “There can be a steep learning curve that requires people not only to find a lot about themselves, but they also have to rely on their teammates next to them.”

Those parallels trace back to Servite, where Connor’s story began years earlier.

He still remembers the first time Servite felt larger than life. As an eight-year-old, his football team had the opportunity to walk onto the field at the Santa Ana Bowl behind the bagpipes during the Servite–Mater Dei game, an experience that stayed with him long before he understood what Servite truly was. Years later, when the default plan was public high school, he asked his parents to take a closer look. A Shadow Day sealed it. “It’s not just a buzzword or a cliche,” Connor says of Servite’s brotherhood. “It’s real.”

At Servite, Connor played baseball and freshman football, but he also found a deeper sense of belonging through campus life. He joined the Campus Life team and helped launch what became known as the Asylum, Servite’s student section. By his senior year, he stepped into Asylum leadership, working to expand student buy-in beyond just football and basketball to the full Servite experience—sports, clubs, and Priory activities alike.

Formation at Servite challenged Connor to see himself differently. Early on, he encountered educators who insisted that students were there for deeper reasons: called to faith, service, and responsibility to others. 

He describes his faith at Servite as something that grew quietly over time. He didn’t arrive as a student who went to Mass every Sunday, but the steady presence of prayer and weekly Mass created space for reflection he hadn’t experienced before. What mattered most was sharing those moments with friends—stepping away from the pressures of classes and sports and simply being present together. “It was a time to just exhale and relax,” he recalls, a chance to disconnect from the day-to-day and regain perspective. 

One classroom experience in particular helped crystallize Connor’s academic path. His favorite class at Servite was AP U.S. History, taught by a young alumnus who combined intellectual rigor with a genuine understanding of what it meant to be a Servite student. The course demanded discipline and serious preparation, but it was never just about the exam. Connor recalls that the class was formative precisely because it connected academic content to the broader work of becoming a thoughtful, grounded person. History became more than dates and events; it became a way of understanding people, leadership, and responsibility. 

After graduation, Connor was recruited to play baseball at the Air Force Academy, arriving in Colorado Springs just weeks after his Servite commencement. The intensity was real, but it was also very familiar. “When I showed up for the first day, it was almost like my formation mentality was kicked back into gear,” he recalls. The expectations of discipline, service, and accountability echoed what he had already learned. And the spark that had been ignited by his AP US History experience at Servite shaped his decision to major in history at the Academy and, eventually, to return to the classroom himself. 

Selected for the Academy’s competitive Graduate Studies Program, Connor earned his master’s degree in history and came back to teach. Looking ahead, he hopes to pursue a PhD in history, continuing a vocation that blends scholarship, mentorship, and service.

“I would not be anywhere remotely close to where I am if it was not for Servite,” he says.

Connor’s life outside the Academy has grown just as full. He and his wife are raising a young son, and he speaks candidly about how becoming a husband and father has sharpened his sense of responsibility and perspective. The rhythms of family life, such as showing up consistently, choosing patience, and being mindful of the example he sets, mirror the values he strives to model for his cadets. Parenthood, he notes, has made him more aware of how much influence comes not from instruction alone, but from everyday presence and conduct. Those lessons now inform how he approaches his work with cadets, where leadership is learned as much by example as by expectation. 

 

As he helps form future officers, Connor carries Servite with him, living out its mission in a new setting, shaped by the same call to brotherhood, leadership, and character.