Shraedon Naeole-starkey '18 Recruiting Profile

I want to attend college to not only pursue my personal goals, but to make my parents proud of me. Growing up on a small island of Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi, I have always been around sports. Whether it was my dad playing community tournaments, my grandparents volunteering numerous hours for community baseball leagues as an umpire and scorekeeper, I was always there. I have always had the passion and thought I was athletic enough to play. It was not until I entered high school, where I would find my own love of the game and different sports. My true passion has always been baseball. Playing in all divisions of Little League (Tee-ball, Coach-Pitch, Minors, Majors, Juniors, and finally Seniors Division), playing in Local Island tournaments in a 10U and 12U leagues. My family has always been supportive of my efforts and always try to do whatever they can in making me successful. However, playing three sports all year long in high school not only involves commitment, staying balanced and healthy also entails that. That commitment needed to attend practice everyday along with balancing schoolwork and responsibilities at home is hard. The greatest challenge is staying healthy and fit by not getting hurt during one sport season in order to play the next sport right around the corner. Another challenge is keeping my grades and studies in tact so I do not falter and hinder my playing status because of academic probation. Basketball and 8-man football are the other sports I am involved in.  

    I believe I would be a great candidate to the team because I am able to get along easily with others. I am a team player, humbled and willing to take on constructive criticism because it means that I can only improve. I am willing to work to achieve my goals and playing time. I am coachable, kind and learn by doing. In Hawaiʻi, there is a statement or Hawaiian proverb that says, "Ma ka hana ka ʻike" which means, in doing, one learns. I feel that I can be an awesome asset to the team and the program. 

            Which leads me to my course study of Sports Science. My ultimate goal is to become an athletic trainer. The reason why I choose my course of study is just to be around sports and to learn about different bones in the human body and how they operate. I also want to help out other athletes with there injuries because I know first hand on how it feels to be playing the sports that you love and all of a sudden to get injured.  I want to do everything I can to help other athletes have a quick recovery. I can do that by assisting and making future athletes aware of the dos and donʻts of taking care of their body.

            My career goal is to is to find leadership in my career and to show acts of service to the community; to show my parents that being a athletic trainer could help out other people and to be a role model to other fellow and future students. I hope to one day come back to my island of Molokai and use my training to assist other athletes pursue their ambitions.