Juan Sanchez '20 Recruiting Profile

I know I’m not alone in this, but life has been rough. When I was younger, I never was the best student or athlete. When younger, I never had the goal of going to college. I didn’t care much about education.  I was a high testosterone juvenile, looking for trouble and actually had visions of dropping out of school. Then one benchmark day, I got arrested. I regret getting arrested, but IT TURNED EVERYTHING AROUND. Every red light is an opportunity in disguise. It made me open my eyes and realize how important school is, and how destructive “too much free time” can be. I also realized that, if my mistakes started getting bigger, the consequences could ruin my life forever. I got busy, and joined the football team. I choose to play football because, I felt it was the a way to get into college and create a legacy for myself. I’ve never played football before my sophomore year. Something told me it would teach me motivation, so I could pursue other goals and dreams! I also loved the concept of: Learning how to accomplish a goal as a team. Even though I hadn’t played before, my coach also inspired me by saying, “It doesn't matter how you start out. It matters where you end up.” In the big picture, I was being schooled in the concept of teamwork. Daily, I also learned the building blocks -- like studying offensive plays, defensive schemes, and lifting weights. I found the daily routine of weight training and cardio to be cleansing me  mentally as well as physically. I have worked my ass off. I am now MUCH stronger, not only physically but mentally. My grades improved dramatically. Since I started playing football, I have gotten so many A’s. I never had those when I was younger. By my junior year, my coach was so impressed, he made me captain of the football team. When the season was over, I had scored 11 touchdowns. Running back wasn't the only position I played. I was a defensive end, linebacker, fullback, and punt returner and also played on special teams. Thanks to football, I’ve never been happier in my life. More importantly, my parents are happy and proud. And there is something much bigger than my own self-esteem and career building here: I made a promise to my mother that I will end her economic problems. I will make this possible, by giving up my body. I recently had the chance to give back to my community and be part of a bootcamp program where I had the honor to be a platoon guide. I also want to pay this motivation forward. I now have a great passion for motivating others to change, and make themselves a better person. It would be a honor to play at a college and make a difference in the Latino community, and the world at large.