Kineil Stevens '25 Recruiting Profile

Growth is needed to keep me prepared for life’s ever changing journey. The last four years in

high school showed me how quickly life can change. My experiences have all led to some sort

of personal growth in my personal and academic experiences. Many times these experiences

have left a deep impression on me and shaped me into the person I am today. Throughout my

life, many experiences have shaped the way I think and how I navigate through life. Personal

growth and constant reflection have helped me set and achieve goals.

Growing up in a single parent household for most of my life. I saw the ins and outs of how

much it took for my mother to take care of my siblings and I. She worked tirelessly to

provide our needs and wants and often without complaint. She got me involved in sports from

an early age and has been my mentor, bleacher coach and support for my entire athletic career.

I started playing baseball as a little leaguer at the age of six. From there, I played for school

teams and outside leagues both on the All-star, National teams, and travel teams. Having the support from

my many coaches has led me to develop confidence in myself and improve my work ethic.

This has led me to become a great baseball player with the prospect of playing for a college

team.

This past year I was given the opportunity to go on a baseball college tour and have a first

hand look at multiple schools and their athletic programs. It was on this tour where I realized

just what was at stake—the opportunity to play college baseball. Being scouted and getting an

offer to play for a D1 school is an opportunity that many high school students like myself hope

for, but it wasn’t until that tour I realized just how many other students from around the country

also have those hopes. Opportunities don’t get handed out to many students especially where I

am from, so I would need to seize the opportunity and bet on myself that I can make it to the

big leagues.

Being from a small island in the Caribbean it could sometimes feel like you will never make it to

the pros, and that your dreams would just stay dreams. However, that college tour ignited a fire

in me that my dreams could definitely become a reality. On that trip I also realized that I could

no longer keep the pace that I was playing on the field. I would need to be more than just great

to compete at the level of these future MLB prospects. I would need further the skills that I

already possess and turn it into something masterful if I was even going to become a future

baseball playing hopeful. It is with this new mindset and area of personal growth that have

become the driving force going into my senior year and graduating from high school. I have become more

confident in my abilities and focused my efforts to always improve in areas where I need to

make improvements. That means I have to keep my grades up for my alternate plan to

attend college. The same work ethic I apply on the field is the same work ethic

I apply in the classroom. I have set out to work hard in school so that I have more access to

resources to help me reach my goals. This past year I have surpassed my goals in bringing up

my GPA. I worked tirelessly to make sure that I did not fall behind in my studies and to maintain

my grades in good standing, thus graduated with Honors.

To drive the point home personal growth is necessary for anyone to achieve success. As cliche

as it might sound, it is what is needed to continue to make good decisions, set goals and

eventually reach those goals. I am grateful for all of my life’s experiences and how both the

bad and the good ones have helped me to make a positive impact on my life. I will continue to allow personal growth to continue to help me navigate the next chapters of my life. Doing so

would ensure that I don’t become complacent or comfortable with just settling for what is

handed to me, but to continue pushing myself to achieve more. In the words of an inspirational

quote “all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”