Nelson Vanegas '21 Recruiting Profile

   Growing up as a hispanic hearing the laughter and joy every morning from my family is a blessing because they always keep me motivated and strong. I am the person I am today because of them. Knowing that my family didn’t come from much is hard but it’s what keeps me pushing to become a better person everyday. My parents have come a long way to not only find a better life for themselves but for my sibling and I as well. All their hard work has got them somewhere and because of my parents I am here today and they will continue to work hard for a better life. My parents are everything to me. They have shown me to love myself, care for others, and never try to act like someone I am not. I come from a family of five and we are very close. We trust each other and value one another. Both of my parents are from small towns in El Salvador, and they have traveled a long way to give our family a better lifestyle than the one they grew up in. So I will always value my parents' for all the hard work they have put in. Life for them was hard and they struggled a lot, so all I want to do is make them happy by staying humble and help provide them with a better life like they did for me. My parents always tell me they work hard to make me have a better life than they did, so my job is to be a better person and provide them with help.

   Coming from a family of five and being the youngest has always been an advantage. I get all the help I need from my brother and sister. I’ve learned from all of their mistakes and it benefits me because I’ve learned what is right from wrong. I am a very quiet person that doesn’t really show his emotions but once you get to know me I am a very cool and humble kid from south central Los Angeles. Living in LA, the city of opportunities and great teams such as the Lakers, that had an idol of mine Kobe Bryant, he is a reason why I stay motivated. He was hard working with a mentality to only get better at what he did. When he passed away I felt down, and sad because I had always looked up to him, but at the same time I always kept his mentality to get better. LA is not only a place with many of my idols and dreams but it’s also a place with a lot of fashion sense which is another interest of mine. I’m really into sneakers and being from LA has influenced the way I style my sneakers and has shown me the best places to get the best sneakers. For example, Nike and Adidas, Jordans, etc..

   My family is very big on sports and more specifically soccer. At the age of 4, I was put in a soccer team and ever since then it has been my passion; and everything there is to know about soccer I have learned from my father and my brother. They have pushed me to be passionate and always try my best and never give up. Soccer is very important to me because it motivates me to continue working hard. Through soccer I have seen being able to travel and spend quality time with my family, and teammates which is amazing. Soccer brings me happiness and it is a good distraction for when things are not so good in the world.

   Knowing where I came from is very important in my life because I have to work twice as hard as others to reach my goal. Although it may not be easy, at the end of the day it will be worth it because I will push myself to reach my limits and accomplish my goal.