Personal Statement
My name is Dominic “Kanoa” Borromeo and I am a 5’11”, 165lb, 2021 outside back prospect looking to play in college. Throughout my club career, I have been a part of many successful teams, most recently at Washington Premier, which became a USYS National Championship contender in 2019. Since beginning to play in 2006, soccer awoke a sense of determination and motivation within me, continuing to influence all aspects of my life so that I am driven to complete anything I set my mind on. While I possess a strong soccer IQ, good foot skills, and great speed, it's my mindset of a competitor that sets me apart. I hate losing. In my freshman year, my development began to go backwards due to a mismatch between myself and a new coach, but I did not give up. I realized I needed to reset myself as a player and person. In 2018, I decided to study abroad in San Sebastian, Spain, where I would be allowed to study at a local school and train with a local academy under the guidance of a former coach who moved there. I was not fluent in Spanish. Up until my departure to Spain, I had only taken two years of Spanish in school. The transition was tough. At first, being in a foreign country and unable to have normal conversations with people all day, every day felt very isolating at first. But before long, this caused me to use my own curiosity/motivation to improve my understanding of the Spanish language. With the help of school friends, I would start by replying in simple phrases which then evolved to conversations and ordering food at restaurants. By having this new challenge to overcome, a challenge that wasn't necessarily soccer-related, my soccer improved. I became more comfortable around my teammates and my development took off. I came back to the United States in the Summer of 2018 to continue pushing myself in soccer to higher levels and to find ways to use my Spanish. I realized that the people in Spain were kind to me, always trying to help me, so I wanted to find a way to help non-native English speakers as they are learning English. I am currently enrolled in AP Spanish and I have found opportunities and programs to continue using the language and to help others. I participated in a clinic to help act as a receptionist to help welcome and direct participants who only spoke Spanish. Also, during the COVID lockdown, I spent each noon hour at my school campus, assisting school administrators, handing out lunches to local families. When I could, I would speak Spanish to welcome Spanish speaking families. In Highschool I have found myself taking a more scientifically robust schedule, and so I have found interest in pursuing a major and career in molecular biology.