Connor Lynch flashes a smile, dimples deepening as his joy shines through.
'He had a short life, but he'll have a big legacy'
A mother ensures her son’s entrepreneurial spirit carries on
By Molly Urnek '20, // Advancement
The silver charm on Michelle Lynch’s necklace, etched with the words, “Mother forever in my heart,” catches the light beautifully.
“It’s the only necklace I wear,” Lynch says. “Connor gave me the charm out of nowhere.”
It surprised her — an unexpected present from her 19-year-old on his brother’s birthday. And it also didn’t surprise her. Connor always had a gift for adding sparkle. When he entered a room, he did so with happy energy, dancing, singing or flexing his muscles. He radiated a charisma that drew people into long conversations about dreams and ideas.
On Feb. 22, 2024, days after Connor let his mom know how very much he loved her, he was struck by a car while riding his e-scooter at 42nd Street and East Fletcher Avenue near USF Tampa. A sophomore majoring in entrepreneurship, Connor passed away hours later at the hospital.
In the wake of her loss, Michelle channeled her grief into action. She became a passionate advocate for e-scooter safety, raising awareness about the dangers that claimed her son’s life. A USF Foundation board member, she also established the Connor Lynch Legacy Scholarship to support entrepreneurial students like Connor.
“Everything I do is to keep his memory alive,” Michelle says. “He had a short life, but he’ll have a big legacy.”
Connor followed in the footsteps of his parents and grandparents when he enrolled at USF in spring 2023. His mom, Michelle, ’98, Life Member, is a proud advertising alumna; his dad, Garrick, earned an associate’s degree; and his grandparents, Kathy Taylor, ’72, and Brooks Taylor, ’68, both graduated from the College of Education. Connor had been a Bull since childhood.
“He grew up going to USF football games,” Michelle says, “and he loved the Greek life and the energy of the campus.”
On a mission to build the next big company, he crowded his car and room at the Phi Delta Theta house with scribbled ideas and business books, and searched for unmet needs in the marketplace.
He became fast friends with fraternity brother and roommate Giancarlo Pantano. The two shared classes and library study sessions, built a tower from Chick-fil-A sauce packets and watched afternoon movies.
If we can help make someone’s aspirations come true, then I feel like Connor’s dreams will be somewhat accomplished too.”
– Michelle Lynch
“If Connor was there, you knew it,” Giancarlo says. “No matter who he was talking to, he was able to make a special connection with them.”
Giancarlo was at the hospital the night Connor passed. When Michelle saw him from the waiting room, she pulled him close.
“We got the news together,” he says. “It was incredibly hard, but I think that moment bonded us. We’ve talked every Friday since. She’s become family to me.”
Hundreds of students gathered at Phi Delta Theta’s house to light candles and honor Connor at his vigil. Many also donated to a GoFundMe, raising over $19,000 to assist the family with funeral and medical expenses.
“If there was ever any doubt about our future generation of leaders, then that was squashed by what I witnessed,” Michelle says. “People would donate $5 or whatever they could, and to me, that was as meaningful as the $100 donations because it's what somebody could give.”
She eventually opened a separate fund for memorial donations in lieu of flowers. In 2024, she used $75,000 from the fund to establish the Connor Lynch Legacy Scholarship. The first recipient was Mya Bowser, a licensed nail technician and senior in the entrepreneurship program. She’s passionate about transforming the business landscape for women and committed to building her own venture.
“My dream is to create an inclusive, empowering space for women that not only provides beautiful results but also inspires confidence and community,” Mya says. “This scholarship reminds me that others believe in my potential, and I strive to honor Connor’s legacy by turning my ambitions into lasting success.”
Michelle would like to continue using the memorial fund to support tournaments, events and future scholarships for entrepreneurship students. She wants to sponsor “Shark Tank”-style competitions at USF and help students launch real businesses.
Meanwhile, she’s working to address safety concerns surrounding e-scooters and e-bikes, which have become ubiquitous on college campuses. She established the Connor Lynch Legacy Foundation to fund education and advocacy campaigns to raise awareness — and to change laws.
Michelle Lynch speaks at the Safe Streets for Safe Wheels inaugural press conference at USF Tampa.
She’s partnered with AAA as a victim advocate for its Safe Streets for Safe Wheels initiative, which had its inaugural press conference at USF Tampa. There, campus police responded to 29 e-scooter-related accidents from 2023 to 2025, according to USF Police Chief Chris Daniel.
Michelle shares Connor’s story to make people think twice.
“Five seconds either way, and he’d still be here,” she says. “I want to make e-scooters and e-bikes safer — I want to save lives.”
Her blog, A Mom’s Love, aims to support other parents navigating child loss and provide the resources she couldn’t find when she needed them most. Keeping Connor close, she’s also added another charm to the necklace, one pressed with his fingerprint.
“I miss that boy more than life itself, and I would give anything to have him back,” she says. “But I still feel connected to him.”
And through every student whose hopes are realized because of him, she is.
“If we can help make someone’s aspirations come true,” she says, “then I feel like Connor's dreams will be somewhat accomplished too.”
