Soccer was my first obsession. From the time I was 5, all I wanted was to play professionally, and after training 3 hours a day for years, I eventually got scouted by both LA galaxy, and ST. Louis City, two MLS Academies. After playing well at both, neither offered me a spot.
The rejections broke me, I remember driving back from LA and not saying a word the entire time. I felt sorry for myself, questioning why this happened to me. Then, my dad asked me a question, did I want to sit and feel sorry for myself, or did I want to double down and work even harder, so when the next opportunity came, I was ready? I went out and trained right after.
I ended up traveling to Spain on my own, playing with Real Sporting de Gijón for a month, then coming back again later to play with a team in Valencia. Finally, last year, I got a few offers to play in college, including a Division 1 offer. However, another obsession had been creeping up, and that was my obsession with building. I decided to turn down the offer to focus full time on building.
Soccer has shaped me into who I am today, I’ve learned to love rejection, enjoy the process and the work that comes with it, and that when something has to happen, I make it happen. These lessons are a big part of why I want to be at the Academy. I do my best work around others that constantly push my limits, and the Academy is going to be full of the best, smartest, most hard working young founders. I need to be a part of it.