Personal Statement
Soccer has always been a source of great joy in my life. I was constantly surrounded by players and dedicated soccer fans throughout my early years in an English town. A huge sense of community and belonging resulted from this shared love for the game, as well as for local and national teams. Soccer was so far ingrained within my cultural roots, it would be impossible to imagine life without it. As soon as I could stand, I had a ball and my feet, and I played competitively for my village in England as soon as age allowed. As this young team grew, I learned how valuable being part of a team could be. We became brothers in arms and supported one another through all aspects of sports, school and family life. During this time, I learned how to contribute effectively, lead from within a group and I gained confidence in my value as a player.
At age 10, we moved from England to Massachusetts, forcing me to leave my soccer team, my friends, and all things familiar. This was by far the hardest challenge faced to date. I had to deal with greater cultural change than I had anticipated, in sports, social situations and academics. I had to learn to flex and adapt to my surroundings, to be determined and resilient whilst being true to myself, and to keep going regardless of set backs even when vastly out of my comfort zone. Soccer remained a constant and an anchor throughout that period and I was soon able to earn my slot as a midfielder in both town and club teams. As a midfielder and captain on these teams over the years, (as well as high school varisty since 8th grade) I learned the value of leading from within, of being the glue that pulls the team together, of building relationships and mentoring younger and less experienced players to give team members that sense of loyalty and desire to succeed. I learned to assess and understand each player, and to learn their way of moving, reacting and passing, until I could anticipate their actions. I worked hard to combine this with knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses, (as well as my own), and developed great vision to put the ball exactly where and when it needs to be. This effective distribution of the ball around the pitch, combined with the vision to pass to the right player at key times and take chances where necessary, has become one of my greatest strengths and I would love the opportunity to find a new home where these skills can be put to best use.