Habtamu Kruiswyk '20 Recruiting Profile

My soccer career started when I was just at the age of 3 and has been my passion ever since. It hasn’t wavered even when I was adopted in 2014 from Ethiopia at the age of 13. Soccer has taught me many things in my life. It always helps me go through my toughest times including the struggles I experienced after coming here to America. I had to adapt to a lot of new things like the language, food, and the people. Soccer has brought me a joy and connections with lots of people as I adjusted to life in the US.

The biggest hurdle over these last 4 years has most certainly been assimilating to the academic culture. I believe the grades I have now do not show what I can achieve. One of my high school goals going forward is to work even harder on my reading and English skills which should help me to improve my grades. I know I am capable of meeting this goal because one of my unique characteristics is persisting during hard times.

Not only did I have to adjust to life in a new country, but my Freshman year and a week before my first season had started, I broke my ankle. It took lots of patience and hard work to stay fit for 5 weeks without being able to play. By the end of the season, even though I missed six games, I ended up helping my JV team go undefeated with the most assists while achieving MVP honors. I was also called up to the Varsity team during the playoffs. Although we didn’t go as far as we would have liked, it was a valuable experience. As a person that has gone through some tough and amazing experiences as a soccer player, I am very much looking forward to my next challenge to play at a high level of college soccer.