Henry Beglinger '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Henry Beglinger, and I’m seventeen years old and in the eleventh grade at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. I want to go to a four-year college or university and play lacrosse. My goal in high school is to continue to develop my lacrosse playing skills on a club team and to challenge myself academically by taking honors and AP courses.

I am the second of three children. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My older sister has severe epilepsy and developmental disabilities. She is completely dependent on our family and needs 24-hour care. Growing up with her has been one of the biggest influences on my life. It’s been challenging, but it’s also helped to make me who I am. My sister has uncontrolled seizures, can’t talk and can’t do much for herself, but she has taught me about things that aren’t really measureable. I think I have a lot more tolerance for difference and more compassion for others because of my experiences growing up with my sister.

As a person, I am a natural leader and enjoy being a part of big groups. I’ve always played team sports and only rarely individual ones, and that’s probably because I love to be around other people and work toward a common goal. I get along with just about everyone and am mostly relaxed and a pretty happy person overall. According to all of the coaches I’ve had in various sports – soccer, basketball, baseball, flag football and, of course, lacrosse, I’m coachable and take direction well. I understand that I’m not the big shot player and that I can’t just rely on natural ability to play lacrosse. I need to work really hard and to listen to the coach’s direction and advice. I know that I’m always learning and getting better, and I want to continue to improve my game. I play long stick midi and close defense and rely more on footwork and speed than physical size to play a good game. I love lacrosse. For years, I played both baseball and lacrosse, and when I failed to make my high school’s baseball team as a freshman, I threw myself into lacrosse and never looked back.  Even though my high school doesn’t have a lacrosse team, I knew that Notre Dame was where I wanted to be, particularly for the strong academics, so with the help of my mother I found several clubs to participate in.

As a student, I study really hard and work independently. I’m a strong reader and writer and test very well, but I’ve decided to challenge myself and take more difficult classes, even if it means my grades aren’t as high. Regular classes don’t help me stand out, and my goal is for universities to notice that I’m challenging myself. My goal is to raise my grade point average to 3.8 and above.  I also know that university level classes are difficult, and by having a more rigorous schedule now in high school, I’ll be more prepared for that in college. I know that furthering my education is essential to my success in life, and I’m aware that my parents make sacrifices for this to happen now and in the future.