SAN FRANCISCO -- "The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."

Dedicating their time to collaborate on a commercial project for adidas in between the fall and spring golf seasons, Academy of Art University Advertising majors and men's golfers Lawrence Liang and Jose Lopez Butron now have their work garnering national attention. Entitled "Never Walk Away," the advertisement which taps into the struggles of women in sports and seeks to empower has been nominated to the Student Division of the American Advertising Awards as sponsored by the American Advertising Federation and Ad 2 National.
 
"It is a true honor to be nominated," said Liang. "In the beginning, our team set the goal of getting this commercial into Academy of Art's Spring Show. We worked very hard and kept making improvements as we went through multiple versions and reviews because we wanted it to be the best it could be. We combed through the huge database of footage we captured and carefully hand-picked the pieces we wanted to use. It was important that we didn't waste any second of the time we had."

Reflecting on the lack of equal opportunity for women prevalent across the sports world, Liang and his team sought to encourage current and future generations to keep fighting. The group was driven by inspirational examples such as Shanshan Feng, the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour despite limited availability of resources growing up, and continued to refine the piece through several revisions. In the end, like the message of the commercial itself, the hard work paid off with a final product worthy of nomination to the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition.

"With this commercial, we really wanted to inspire young female athletes to challenge the barriers faced by women in sports," said Liang. "We wanted this to be an emotional piece that touch the audience's heart. It is about continuing to push, staying strong, and all with the ultimate goal of leveling the playing field."

Now a senior, Liang's time at Academy of Art began in 2015 after he transferred from the University of San Francisco. Thriving in ART U's hands-on environment, the Shenzhen, China native has thus far been selected Academic All-PacWest each of his first three years, earned a D2ADA Academic Achievement Award, and last season became the program's first Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.

"After coming to Academy of Art and taking a lot of classes, I've seen that the people around me are so talented and I've learned a lot from them," said Liang. "Looking at their work gives me huge inspiration. And being on projects such as this one, I've realized that a single person has only limited power. Instead, when a group of individuals come together and work hard, great work is possible. I'm very proud of the team that worked on this commercial together."

Working on the commercial alongside Liang was Butron, the project's strategist, and that pair of golfers were joined by producers Yi Ren and Arthur Bukujian, screenwriter Sotheara Sang, director of photography Wei Zhong, cinematographer Nicholas Tran, and editor Qie Ji. The cast itself was composed of two former ART U student-athletes, Sterling Hawkins (golf) and Schae Graham (track & field), as well as Yunjiao Shangguan who handled the tennis role. Whether it be his production team or the Urban Knights men's golf team, Liang never forgets to emphasize the importance of valuing one another.

"Our golf team at Academy of Art has gotten better each year," said Liang. "It shows in the results, but it also shows with everyone's mentality to work harder and help each other. Success is not about a person's achievements, but rather about how they positively affect those around them."

This past year, Liang's sincerity and dedication to others earned him the Dr. Jamie Williams Male Servant Leadership Award at the Fifth Annual ARTYs Awards, a post-season banquet recognizing the department's student-athletes' accomplishments. Introduced in 2015, the gender-specific award named after inaugural director of athletics Dr. Jamie Williams focuses on one's responsibility to serve as a positive role model for others in all aspects of life.

"We are extremely proud of Lawrence," said head coach Andy Moren. "We sincerely appreciate what his contributions have done both for our program and the school."

Not only will Liang's commercial be a nominee for the AAF American Advertising Awards Student Division, but it will also be part of an integrative ad campaign for adidas that will be nominated for the 2019 Design and Art Direction New Blood Awards. The commercial will serve as one element of a multi-faceted collection that includes print, social media, and interactive components.

"Looking back, it was a great decision to attend Academy of Art," said Liang. "With my family primarily in the business industry, I never thought I would be an artist. And playing golf has been my dream since I was a child so I am super grateful to be a student-athlete here. My experience at Academy of Art and on the ART U golf team has been incredible and I truly appreciate it. It has been one of the best times in my life."