Samuel Mejia '23 Recruiting Profile

Hello,

My name is Samuel Mejia, and I am a class of 2023 defender from Forest Grove, Oregon. I currently play for Santos 04 Inter, and my previous club team was Santos Inter 03 which I joined at age 15. We were knocked out of the Western Regional Championship in the quarter finals last year.  I will graduate this year as Valedictorian amongst my five hundred classmates.  I currently have a 4.0 GPA as well as a 4.317 weighted GPA.

I started playing soccer when I was 3 years old, my dad was one of the coaches.  He believed in fair play, so he would often pull me out of the games if I scored too many goals until one game when I asked if I could play defense instead of just sit. He let me and I have been a defender ever since. I normally play left back, but I also play the two, four, five, six, seven, nine and eleven.

I have been enrolled in my High Schools Talented and Gifted Program since my freshman year as well as served as ASB Treasurer. I volunteer with my Schools Unified Sports program, summer lunch program, the Oregon Food Bank, and tutor underserved students. My mother is a teacher, and my father is a local women's college soccer coach. My sister who was also a valedictorian is currently enrolled in Vet School.

This summer, I was scouted and received a scholarship to attend IDA Valencia. This was my second experience playing in Spain, my first was playing in Madrid for the Real Madrid Clinic select team. I spent July thru September playing in the International Development Academy program. During this experience I earned a spot on the U23 IDA Surf team. While I was there, I had the privilege of learning from former Valencia and Villareal players, current Valencia Academy coaches, and playing against great Spanish Clubs. The reason for my return from Spain was to help my High School team defend our Pacific Conference Title. I will be attending the MIC tournament and Surf Cup Manchester City with IDA in the Spring.

My plan includes attending a school with both strong soccer and academic programs. I appreciate a positive team environment that will help me continually grow and develop my soccer acumen. In addition to my interest in joining a men's soccer program I plan on majoring in Science or Bio Engineering. I want to continue to work hard to develop both the academic and the athletic sides of my life. I want to achieve my dream of playing soccer at the next level and furthering my academic career.

Thank you for your time,

Sam Mejia