Miguel Perez '17 Recruiting Profile

The drive to achieve, the feeling of accomplishment, and the value of education are the most meaningful things to me as a person. Coming from a household of 5, growing up with the responsibility to make my parents proud, I was a role model for my younger siblings of what being a academic student should look like. My parents brought me into the United States at the age of 3 with the intention of giving me a better future academically and financially than what they would be able to offer in Mexico.

Growing up my parents always had a hard time economically, mostly in the winter where my dad sometimes couldn't work because of the snow or rain. At a very young age, from what I can remember, they always told me, "Always put your education first, that will guarantee your success and that way you won't have to work in these hard laboring jobs." I was an example for my younger siblings through most of my school years, which included many barriers that I faced such as lack of books, and not much  support in schools. I always tried my hardest to keep my grades up which was hard since I was juggling competitive soccer from the age of 8. The balancing act was something that could have caused my grades to drop, and although it took a lot of my time I always figured out ways to overcome by making time no matter what and becoming good at balancing my time.

Growing up with great parents that have helped me push myself when I gave up, and always being one of the top students in my class, education became the solution to everything. Though reality hit me hard these last few years- I am an immigrant, I’ve had more school work, and less time due to high school sports and keeping up my grades. Playing soccer all four years of my high school time, as well as playing competitive club soccer during the spring time was something I had to learn to manage. The classes I have been taking at the Community College of Denver really opened up my eyes to what college really required which is dedication, time management, and organization. Scholarships are hard for me to attain because I have not yet received my DACA, and my parents can't really contribute much financially because of my siblings and lack of money.

I am one of the top 4 students in my class and I have a great work ethic. I plan on going into business management, as well as getting a sports management degree. I will work towards becoming an extraordinary student at the university, as well as joining clubs to help contribute to the college. My main goal is to make my parents proud by being the first to attend a university and be an example for my younger siblings.

I have been playing soccer for over 8 years it is my passion. CASA Estudiantes is my current club team, we are playing in the Colorado Youth Soccer Competitive Super League as well as being ranked 6th in the state of Colorado for our age group. Every year we participate in the annual Colorado State Cup where the top teams of the state come together to compete in this tournament, in 2014 our team made in to the Semi-Final of the cup. I play for West High School, and have been a starting Varsity player Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior year as well as given the privilege of being able to be the captain of both club, and high school for the past 2 years.

I have a very big ambition in always improving as a player physically, mentally as well as a person on helping my teammates/peers in improving by leading, supporting, and encouraging them to always believe what they are capable of doing. Hopefully I make the right decision about the right fit for me, and become the best Student-Athlete I possibly can.