Kris Garo '24 Recruiting Profile

As a person full of energy, dreams, and passion, I display leadership and a strong work ethic in every task I undertake, whether that be a soccer match or a school assignment. I have a tremendous desire to excel both academically and athletically, and I am taking my natural talent to the next level through hard work. In the years to come, I aspire becoming a student-athlete for the Division 1 league at the best U.S. universities, while pursuing a degree in a major related to entrepreneurship, management, or economics. My aspiration is to be an innovative entrepreneur in the future, and I will integrate the work ethic and lessons that I have from my athletic experience into my intended future career.  

I fell in love with the beautiful game of soccer when I was eight years old, after watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Everything from the passion of the players, to the roars of the crowd when their representative team scored a goal inspired me to become a part of this world. From that moment onward, I aspired to become a professional athlete.  Therefore, at the age of nine, I joined one of the clubs in the top-flight of Albanian soccer: Partizani. This club was founded in 1946 and has since majorly impacted this sport in my country. I have played as a striker in the Superior League, involving in the U13 division (scoring 18 goals), the U15 division (scoring 10 goals), and currently in the U17 division.  

The striker position holds a lot of responsibility, requiring high self-confidence and a strong control of the ball. Fortunately, my self-confidence and my skills are not only my greatest innate strength but have also grown significantly with much practice. Besides the five practicing five times a week with my team, I also am doing extra training during the weekend to improve techniques like shot accuracy and speed, skills that have prepared me both physically and mentally (the perception of the situation, decision making and hitting the ball). Even in my spare time, I practice the skills I have learned intensively, either when I play soccer matches with friends or even when I use the living room couch to improve passing and coordination skills. 

Besides practicing and improving my technical skills, I have understood that academics are crucial and even beneficial to my games. Knowing where to position myself in the field is a combination of analytical and creative thinking. To move smartly between defenders, confuse them, and be aware of the space around you requires intellect and thought. I have understood that this is a result of hard work both in academic and sport as well as discipline and the right attitude.  

Playing soccer in Albania has been greatly beneficial to my learning experience as an athlete. Traditionally, this sport is infamous in Albania, played, watched, and admired by all age groups and socio-economic class. Much of the techniques, strategies, and skills that are taught to young athletes in Albania are those that can be seen in some of the best European soccer teams, including Italian, British, German, Spanish, French, and more. I personally have attended the Juventus and Barcelona Youth Soccer Camps in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and I have gained a unique perspective regarding Europe’s perspective on the sport. My experiences playing soccer in Europe, and embodying a unique sense of the culture, is a factor that would distinguish me from other recruits.  

To conclude, ever since I was a young, soccer became my passion and stepping on the field was like entering a new world: one of passion and adrenaline. All the negative emotions, thoughts and stress disappeared in those 90 minutes of playing, making the game of soccer became “a way of life.