Mateo Juarez '24 Recruiting Profile

I am passionate about school, family, sports, music and helping my community.  I’ll graduate in 2024 with a high school diploma and AAS degree from the University of New Mexico.  My current high school GPA is 4.5423 and I am ranked 10/373 students.  I was also in the National Honor Society, but it never reconvened after covid.   I will pursue a degree in engineering, with several interests: civil, mechanical, electrical, aerospace and/or chemical.  I’m also considering dentistry.  I'm looking for my ideal fit for my educational and athletic pursuits. 

Born and raised in Gallup, NM, I’m surrounded by several different cultures.  This exposed me to various traditions, languages and foods, fueling my desire for world experience and humanitarianism.  I love travel and languages.  I do not speak any other language fluently, but I’ve been exposed to Spanish, Arabic and Tagalog and find that I quickly pick them up.  I love music and play the piano and I am also teaching myself acoustic guitar.

School and responsibilities come first.  I am self-disciplined in my day-to-day life.  Discipline is the greatest form of self-love; ignoring current pleasures for future rewards in pursuit of what is meant for you.  Raised by a single mother, who is a traveling nurse, I was often left alone after my sister graduated and left to college.  However, I continued to maintain over a 4-point GPA, be team captain of my high school and travel soccer teams, exercise daily and work nights at a restaurant.  Watching my mom go back to school at 40 ingrained in me to pursue my educational goals first. 

I’ve played club soccer since age eight and played in divisions beyond my actual age.  I joined Farmington FC Real Football club in 2017, two hours from Gallup.  I’m presently Co-Captain of the varsity boys’ team for Miyamura High School.  I’m a decorated soccer player in my state for the last four years, receiving honors of all-district twice, receiving two player of the year awards through Max Preps and from the Navajo Times.  Soccer has taught me the importance of teamwork, dedication, perseverance, leadership, adversity, and commitment.  I also made first-round picks of the Olympic Youth Development Program my sophomore year, but was unable to attend the second round due to prior obligations to my travel team to play in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I thrive on structure, keep a strict routine, and balance school, soccer, work, diet and exercise which will help me to be successful in the program I pursue.