Selena Bronkhorst '21 Recruiting Profile

What makes me different from other recruits is that I am a fighter and a survivor.  

When I was at Marjory Stoneman Douglas my freshman year, there was a mass shooting.  No one knew where the shooter was at the time when I was locked out of my classroom during the lockdown. I was terrified. But I was one of the lucky ones. I lost two friends that day, one who was on the soccer team with me.  I experienced something that I never felt before - real loss and sadness over my friends, and fear of going to school.  The things that helped me get through this difficult time was my faith, family, sports and music.  There's something strange about the idea of death - as a teenager, it seems so far away.  But when you know people your age who have been killed, it makes you appreciate your life and your family so much more.  As a result, the bond between my family and I got stronger, especially with my 2 younger sisters.  We had been taking music lessons and playing in other bands since 2014, but decided to form our own band called Midnight3.  We have performed all around South Florida, as well as, Disney Springs and Universal Studios.

Besides my passion for music, I really enjoy playing competitive sports.  I have always been a competitive person and I admit it, I love to win. There's nothing like scoring a goal, winning a race or making a touchdown.  The feeling is indescribable.  I also have to admit that if I mess up, I'm a little hard on myself.  I practice correcting the mistake over and over until I get it right.  Before the shooting, I played soccer for Parkland Soccer Club for 7 years.  I loved it.  Even though I went to practices and games, I would still have my dad run drills with me at the park or our backyard.  I wanted to be the best that I could be.  As much as I loved soccer, I wanted to experience other sports, so my freshman year at MSD, I played flag football and I ran track.  Then the shooting happened and my parents decided to enroll me at Broward Virtual School.  Like I mentioned before, music is what helped me during this time so I didn't try out for sports that year but I still played in soccer scrimmages everyday to keep my skills up.  The summer of 2019, I attended soccer camp to strengthen my skills and learn new techniques to prepare me for the fall soccer season. As a result, I scored more goals and had more assists than in previous years. This proved to me that practice makes perfect and I can't wait for the next season. (Update: I currently run track for Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS. My best recorded time for the 100m is 13.71 although my best practice time is 13.30. My best recorded time for the 200m is 29.39. Finally, my 4x1 relay team broke the school record with 49.72 and placed 2nd at Districts.  We go to Regionals 5/1/21 at Traz Powell Stadium on the Miami Dade College North Campus and look forward to a win!

My competitiveness doesn't just stop at the field.  I also work hard to be an honor student while taking Dual Enrollment courses.  It's not just about getting good grades (although I love getting straight 'A's), but it's important for me to get a good education that will help me with my future career.  Whether that career is being a soccer player for the United States Women's Soccer Team or a drummer for Midnight3, it's important to be educated in life.  Education also brings awareness such as the need to help our environment.  In my spare time, I have participated in beach clean-ups because there is so much litter on beaches and in the ocean.  Sometimes when I'm surfing, paddle boarding or kayaking, I'll pick trash out of the ocean.  I may be only one person, but one person can make a big difference.  Overall, I like being a well-rounded person --- an educated person who loves family, sports, music and life.