Personal Statement
I want to believe that I am everything that any college coach would want in an athlete: I am respectful, disciplined, perseverant, talented, intellectual and humanitarian.
To begin with, my objectives are simple on paper yet, demanding in implementation. As a person, I want to grow spiritually: attending church services, my personal study of the Bible and prayer. I also want to manage my time better than I do presently, as necessitated by the juggling of academics and soccer and be a better manager of my finances: be more meticulous and chary about my spending, savings and investments. I am also focused on becoming more mentally sound to be able to handle the praises and backlash of fans and the general public concerning my performance on the pitch. As a player, I am looking to get bigger, faster, more skilled, more technical and breaking records held by alumni soccer athletes at the college. This essentially means developing my dribbling, shooting, passing, crossing, movement and vision with all the state-of-the-art equipment provided by the school. Additionally, I am focused on getting into a professional football club, and playing college soccer is an important stepping stone in enabling me to accomplish this vision. I will pump in my all to ensure that after college, I get into a professional soccer club in the United States of America or somewhere in Europe.
Based on my own self assessment and remarks by people generally considered respectful, I am persuaded that I embody such a virtue. Time and time again, I consciously ensure that I accord every person that I encounter, whether old, young or my peer, with the utmost reverence. Both in speech and in actions. I deliberately ensure that I follow the instructions of my superiors without any lethargy or complaints, usually, unless I have a justified reason not to heed to the instructions(perhaps because it violates my moral values), which I relay in a bold but reverent manner. I relation to my subordinates, I make sure that before I take anything of theirs, I ask politely. This virtue is evident in my character because of the strong Christian background that I came from. On and off the field, I will accord my teammates and coaches with the reverence that they deserve and play according to the tactics of my coaches.
Also, discipline is another virtue that I cling to with much aggression. Predominantly because I believe that it is the key to perfecting anything in relation to character, intellectual development, talent development, financial management, etc. My coaches have observed that over the years I am usually the first person to come for training and often the last to leave. During training sessions I put my all into it because of my mindset to get better after every training session. The result of this discipline has always paid off: My numbers in terms of goals and assists during the ISSAG Soccer competition, an annual soccer competition among private schools in Ghana, have only been getting better. And in the 2019 edition of the competition, I was joint top goal-scorer with 3 goals out of 4 games. I believe that with this virtue present in me, I can make unprecedented numbers that will give even more publicity to the soccer program of the college.
Moreover, I am an ambidextrous and versatile soccer player. I can play in almost every position: I was a goalkeeper on my school team in middle school, I can play right-back, center-midfield, I can play the left and right wings, as well as the striker position. So, the coach will have options for positions that the team is lacking in players. I can take on opponents fiercely, I can create space for myself and teammates by my movements, I am an excellent header of the ball, I can create scoring opportunities out of nothing and I can lead a team. Fortunately for me, I have developed both legs to play excellently: I can dribble, shoot, cross and pass with both legs. It is quite difficult for people to pick out my stronger foot since both play substantially well.
Furthermore, I am also a scholarly athlete. My number one priority as a student is to give my academic work the utmost audience that it deserves. Most of my time is spent on academic work: I engage with my classmates and teachers during lessons more often than not, I spend time reading a host of academic journals and books to widen my scope of understanding of lessons. In addition to this, I make extra time during my day to seek clarification from tutors on enigmatic topics. Two aspects of my academic work that I particularly enjoy very much are debates and presentations. Being a loquacious person, these events provide opportunities for me to be able to share my knowledge on the different topics taught in class to the whole class. I believe that devoting the much needed time to academic studies will give me a future outside of sports in case of any unforeseen circumstance or the end of my career.
Finally, I reckon that all college coaches are in search of an athlete that not only puts his or her all into the activities on the field but, is also altruistic. An athlete that cares as much about giving back to the community (fans, school, native town, the state, the poor and vulnerable, etc.) as being absorbed in the sport. I believe that I am that kind of athlete: I was one of the Community, Activity and Service (CAS) project heads for the Class of 2022 of SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College. We scouted a basic school that was in dire need of a refurbished library and scarce on computers to be able to cope with the technological world that we find ourselves evolving into. In addition, I have been a part of a number of community service projects including a donation to a prison in Ghana and feeding of underprivileged children during Christmas for the past year. Coming from a poor background, this trait is of profound importance to me.
In conclusion, from my explication, I want to believe that as a college coach, you are interested in having me on your athletic program. I am personally focused on personal and professional growth, which I believe are crucial in supporting any college coach poised about achieving great things for their respective sports including soccer. I will wait in earnest expectation for any college offer that aligns with my goals for college sports.
