Aidan Barber '20 Recruiting Profile

My parents are really different, and I'm a mix of the two of them. My mom is passionate about books and reading. Starting when I little, she always read to me. I've known my whole life that for her, it's not a question of if I'm going to college, but where I'm going to college. My dad's big passion in life is soccer. He grew up in England, and I had a soccer ball and an England kit before I could walk. I started playing soccer when I was three, and I love it, probably more than my dad does. So, from the time I started giving any thought to what my college experience would be like, I knew I wanted soccer to be part of it. 

My high school is the biggest in our area, and every year about one hundred kids try out for the JV and varsity teams. I knew that if I wanted to make the team, I had to be in shape, committed to the team and have the ability to compete with the other players. I learned a lot from my coaches - we worked hard in every practice and played hard until the final whistle of every game. I didn't start in the first two games, which was hard because I've always played consistently for my club teams. But I kept showing up to practice and worked hard, and by the third game, I was starting. At the end of the season, Coach Laird said that I'm an easy player to coach - I'm disciplined, I come to practice ready to work, I have good field IQ, I don't complain and I'm respectful.

I'm the same way in the classroom. When something isn't easy, it's just a sign that it's a challenge and I need to work harder. I know that I want to go to the best college I can go to, and I want to prove that I'm worthy of playing college soccer and can contribute to a winning team.