Drew Surio '20 Recruiting Profile

 Writing my personal statement is not something I ran at the chance to do. Not because I don’t want to, or I have nothing to say.  When I was in second grade, it was discovered I have a learning disability called  Irlen’s Syndrome, a form of dyslexia, making it hard for me to read and put my thoughts on paper. Although  having Irlen’s has presented me with many challenges, frustrations, and embarrassment as I have grown, I am extremely thankful. What some call a disability, I see as a gift. This gift has helped me to become the man I am becoming. It has  helped me to learn how to work hard, be perseverant and troubleshoot and think outside the box. Although I have special accommodations at school, I often choose not to use them and adapted my way of learning to master the material.  I wanted to prove to others and myself that I could overcome this challenge.  Maintaining a 3.95 GPA with many rigorous courses has not come easy for me.  It required a lot of late nights and extra work.  

The perseverance and adaptability I have developed translates into sports, especially football.  Unlike a lot of players, I didn’t start playing football until 8th grade.  I didn’t get a lot of playing time initially.  So I worked hard during practice.  Put in the extra work.  I pushed myself in the weight room and ate the right foods to increase my gains.  I’ve been flexible with my position and did what coaches asked of me.  I am able to play S, LB, WR, RB and TE.  I mainly played safety last year, however I’ve enjoyed MLB.  After my second start as MLB, during week 7, I was nominated for North GA player of the week with 13 tackles and a forced fumble.  I also worked on my speed this year, and was awarded Athlete of the Year for Track and Field (100M/200M) by the coaches last season.  I’m looking forward to my senior year and other opportunities beyond that. I look forward to playing football at the collegiate level. I still have more to prove and am confident that I accomplish whatever challenges come my way with my perseverance and adaptability.