- May 2017
Personal Statement
I am not defined by my athletic accomplishments. While I have had success as an athlete playing at the high school varsity level in football, basketball, and baseball my greatest accomplishment is overcoming adversity. My character is important to me and through adversity I have learned that I value loyalty and accountability.
I have always loved sports but baseball was not always my favorite. I was raised by a single mother who fortunately put me into organized sports at a young age. What I didn’t have was a father to help guide my skills and abilities. I quickly learned that baseball required more than just the natural athletic ability I was born with. Baseball is often called the game of failure. I became discouraged and considered quitting baseball all together. My mom married a man when I was 10 who would adopt me and become my father. He taught me how to love and appreciate the game of baseball. I began to appreciate failure as an opportunity to get better. I learned to write my goals down and became more confident as my goals were achieved. Prior to starting high school my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. As I watched her go through treatment she taught me that I am not a victim of life. Through sports I learned not to run away from a problem but to face it and learn from it. If I struggled I learned not to make excuses. If I didn’t start in a game I knew I had to work harder and get better. In baseball, as in life, I know that I cannot control the outcome of the game but I can control my effort and my attitude. I believe I have both the skill and attitude necessary to be a successful college athlete.
