Personal Statement
My name is Robert Affenita. I am 16 years old. I am currently entering my senior year as an honor student at St. Anthony's High School. I have a 3.5GPA. Academically, I am interested in studying criminal justice in college. I truly love baseball. It is my passion. I have been playing since the age of 4. I have trained with many great trainers and coaches over the years. I value their leadership and I appreciate their training techniques to help me improve the way I play the game of baseball. I have played on several travel teams since the age of 8 and I also played with the Stars and Stripes organization. This was a travel team that I played with around the country from the ages of 10-13. I currently play shortstop for my varsity high school team and I also play the same position with an 18U local travel team. We have played in many tournaments over the years. I currently have workouts and training/skills sessions 5-6 times a week and sometimes twice a day on weekends, so I am not afraid to work hard. I have attended catholic school my entire life. I believe that my faith based schooling and my strong family values have helped me to grow and become a very respectful young man. I enjoy helping others and working with community service projects in my area. My parents have always taught my siblings and I to always give back and help where you can. To treat others as you want to be treated. This rang true for myself and my family when we found out my sister who is just one year older than me had cancer in 2015. This news instantly made me grow up and change my whole perspective on life. Just prior to finding out about my sister’s illness, I was notified that I had made the team to play shortstop for the Elite Baseball Organization that could have led me to be seen by some colleges because they traveled around the country and showcased with many college recruiters. At just about the same time I was also asked by my high school varsity coach to come and play with his team on Long Island where I live. As a sophomore being asked to play on the varsity team was a huge accomplishment and honor. I knew what a long road ahead my family faced and I needed to make a big decision. I kept my faith and knew that I still had a little time to work on my college plans. I knew everything would work out ok with me so I decided my place was to be with my sister and my family at this time. I played with my high school varsity coach that season. It was an amazing season that landed us in the playoffs. As I went through the whole process with my sister and my family I saw how we were surrounded by so much love, and support. Seeing all of this I knew that when my sister was well again I wanted to give back like I was taught. I now enjoy helping out The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life with my sister and also in honor of her and my grandfather and others who have suffered with cancer. This whole experience has helped me to mature and grow and realize how truly precious life is. It has taught me to be thankful for the small things and ever so grateful and appreciative for the big things. Being given the opportunity to play baseball at any age is a gift. As I had said earlier "I Love Baseball" but I am truly grateful for the opportunity just to play it.
