I have been taught that some of the smallest acts can make a great impact. My parents have raised me and my siblings to always do the right thing and to make an effort to brighten someone's day no matter what it is. They have always taught us to pick up trash even when it is not ours, do the right thing even when people are not watching, hold the door open for people to enter, and say “Hi” to a stranger because greeting that person can be the highlight of their day. These small details and acts of kindness are second nature for me to do automatically. So in this way, I feel that I make an impact on a smaller scale by doing the little things I know to do every day. I choose kindness! Growing up, I had numerous experiences that a typical elementary school kid would not usually have. I represented my country playing 12U baseball for Team USA and traveled across the world. I truly put all my extra time into developing my skills and worked hard to get myself to the next level. So living in my suburbia town of Santa Clarita Valley, I made a name for myself through my baseball achievements. In doing so, I came to realize that the kids around me knew who I was and were happy to see me. I was an actual inspiration to others. My family shared stories with me about other kids as well as adults that gave me praise for my accomplishments and admired my work ethic. They would be people that I never encountered but somehow followed my baseball career through the years. I make it a point to maintain my appreciation for all I am blessed with because I acknowledge that at some point in time, I made an impact in someone’s life. Perseverance and faith continue to drive me. My ultimate dream is to become a Major League Baseball player. There is less than a 1% chance of anybody achieving that goal. Admittedly, with me being a more compact frame and not having the overall makeup of a standard baseball player, I have an even slimmer chance. So other ball players that have looked up to me and admired me have acknowledged how they appreciate that regardless of my stature, I have had many successes. To know that I have made a positive impression in anyone’s life makes me proud. I want to continue to spread hope. There have been times in my life when things were getting stressful and overwhelming. High school was definitely one of those times. Even though I am so grateful to be a student-athlete at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake, the workload and expectations were overwhelming and stressful. It affected my mental health, my academic progress, and my baseball success. I tried many things to overcome this problem that really did not work. I finally made myself aware that I was putting too much pressure on myself. I was becoming my worst critic. I realized that I should not be worried about doing things wrong. I should not feel ashamed about making an error on the baseball field. A wrong answer on a worksheet will not lead me to failure for the rest of my life. All the work hours I put into baseball and all the study hours I put into school have been 100% worth it. I have been earning my worth all along. Gaining more confidence and trust in myself has been one of my main goals as I navigate high school and will probably continue into college. I must accept that it is all absolutely okay. Making this impact on myself has been a game-changing experience for me. My outlook on life is becoming brighter, lighter, and genuinely happier. In the end, being able to use kindness, faith, hope, and self-trust to create a meaningful difference in someone’s life, including my own, is another step closer to making a better world for all of us.

Athletics are simply in my genes. My mom played multiple sports at a young age and throughout high school. My dad was fortunate enough to play baseball through college and even for the Philippine National team. Since my dad had so much experience in the baseball world he was able to coach me throughout my life, which I am very grateful for. My dad has taught me and his students that the lessons you learn in baseball can apply to so many situations in life as well. I am a good teammate because I believe that in order to win and be successful, the team must respect and trust one another. I instinctively want to be a leader because I enjoy sharing what I know and being a part of a player’s development or a team's win. I have grown to appreciate being a student of the game on and off the field as I support my team from the dugout and when I make a play on the field. This game has also taught me how to deal with adversity in various ways. Baseball is the most difficult sport mentally because as a position player, the greatest players fail 70% of the time. Naturally, people are programmed to want to be successful. Therefore, this statistic of failing can seem unsurmountable. However, the idea of facing the challenge and driving myself to be a success is what keeps me grinding. I have issues with self-doubt especially when I don’t produce for my team. With the support of my parents, friends, coaches, teachers, and sports therapist, I have learned to utilize my weaknesses as well as my strengths to produce what I need. My physical and mental fortitude has gotten stronger and stronger. My childhood has been filled with many opportunities that kids at an elementary school age would usually not encounter. I have been able to travel to many destinations across the United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Taiwan. Traveling for my baseball events allowed time for my family and I to have a vacation while creating memories together and bonding on so many levels because of the unique experiences we shared. Some of these memories were unbelievably surreal. In Taiwan, I played for Team USA as a 12 year old to represent my country against the best 12 year old players in the world. We played in a stadium of 12,000 in attendance and ended up winning the Gold Medal for Team USA. This tournament felt like the actual Olympics where the teams from all over the country stayed in one hotel. We interacted with kids from countries all across the world. One of the fondest and funniest memories I have was when we could only use our hands and facial expressions to attempt any communication with each other. Not exactly sure if any of us clearly understood each other but we had an amazing time regardless. Baseball has brought me where I am today. I am a Senior currently attending Harvard-Westlake which is the 2nd best private school and one of the top baseball programs in the country. I am honored to say that I will soon be attending California Lutheran University as a college student-athlete playing baseball and studying Sports Management. There are no words that can truly describe the powerful impact baseball has had on my life and will continue to have in my future. Wherever the road I travel takes me, I am thankful for all the positivity that baseball and athletics overall have bestowed upon me.

From the time I was 10-14 years old, I was an exceptional student-athlete. I excelled and received straight A's in my classes. I was awarded Scholar of the Year and acknowledged for Outstanding Achievement for the Presidential Award. Athletically, I made leaps and bounds during this time. I was selected to play for Team USA baseball as an 11 and 12 year old and represented my country two years in a row. We ended up winning Gold playing in Taiwan for the 2017 World Baseball/Softball Confederation. At that time, I was on an epic roll of success. I then received the privilege to attend Harvard Westlake for my High School academics and play baseball for one of the most elite teams in a very highly competitive league. I was so excited because I knew I would be playing the game I love while receiving my education from one of the most prestigious schools in the country. However, it definitely did not dawn on me what it meant to be immersed in the emotional, mental, and physical struggle of Harvard Westlake. I sacrificed most lunches to study in the library and spent my free time meeting with teachers for extra support. I went to baseball practice early and left late just to do all that I can for my development. The stress and anxiety truly was building up each year. My freshman year was rough in the classroom and on the baseball diamond. It became an enormous mountain to climb. I made the decision to consult with our school's Sports Psychologist. After a few months of counseling, I realized that it was helpful to gain an objective point of view and professional advice regarding the pressure of bringing up my grades and being more productive on the baseball field. Allowing myself to ask for help and divulge my weaknesses was unsettling to me. So I am more proactive now in finding ways to relieve the stress I have. Whether it’s going out with my closest friends, watching a movie with my family at home, or just praying in my room quietly asking God for his guidance and protection. Through this seemingly eternal state of dismay, I now have come to realize it all is a blessing in disguise. I was made aware last year that I have a type of learning and language disorder. From that point on, I had a sense of relief ironically. It motivated me to push forward knowing the barrier I had in front of me. I gained an appreciation for those with learning disabilities along with those with emotional disorders. Mental health is imperative, especially in a world where there is so much competition and higher expectations. I speak from my personal experience to be transparent. I constantly remind myself that all the ups and downs, wins and losses, and accomplishments and failures have made me the man I am today. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to play baseball in college at Cal Lutheran University and focus on my major in Sports Management. I appreciate all the services and accommodations my high school has provided for a conducive learning environment. Most of all, I have such overwhelming family support that even though we are in a world that seems so fast, so demanding, so loud… I know that I will always be heard. The physical, mental, and spiritual fortitude I possess now, will direct me through life so that I can someday be an inspiration to others as so many people have been mine.

Sports have been in my life for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was 4 years old, I have been playing the game of baseball. Throughout my childhood, I dabbled in other sports like football, basketball, karate, and even dance. Each sport has proved to me, in different ways, that I love the feeling of achievement. The impact sports has made in my life has molded me into the person I am today. Admittedly, I am a perfectionist. Baseball gives me a genuine reality check that perfection is not attainable. However, making it a goal allows me to have that endless urge to be the best version of myself. Not only has baseball taught me so many life lessons, but it has given me many incredible opportunities. Between the ages of 10-14 years old, I played baseball for a team representing USA and traveled to the Dominican Republic. Additionally, I played for Team USA and competed in Mexico and Taiwan for the Gold Medal in tournaments hosted by the World Baseball/Softball Confederation. These experiences essentially gave me the many attributes I am proud to say I possess: mental fortitude from the game’s highs and lows, accountability for my preparation and performance, discipline to keep grinding, and humility to know that I must be thankful every day for all my blessings. I am grateful for the game of baseball because it is my safe haven. It is my outlet to be stressless. It allows me to feel free, to enjoy what I love. In this sport, the greatest players that compete at the highest level are said to fail 70% of the time. In my eyes, I take that as a challenge to be better than that. Regardless of what my future holds, my success story will be that I am a professional athlete in Major League Baseball or I have a career doing great things in the world of sports. Consequently, I will be choosing Sports Management as my major. The idea of being involved in the management of multi-billion dollar businesses related to big teams in football, baseball, soccer, and other sports, is such a thrill. The business and marketing side of sports management is without a doubt intriguing. Traveling and building relationships with major sports organizations sounds exciting. Having this opportunity to learn how this mega business all works can be a great way of truly understanding how the sports industry continues to exponentially thrive. I will be attending California Lutheran University this Fall. To my benefit, they offer a program where I can get my MBA in Sports Management. I am absolutely interested in all the possibilities it offers in furthering my education and keeping me in the world of sports regardless if I am on or off the field. Lastly, aside from the fact that one of my dreams is to be able to make a life out of my love for sports, another dream of mine is to be able to show my gratitude to all that have supported my goals through the years, especially my own family. Without all the years of my family physically, emotionally, and financially helping me, it would be impossible for me to have the unique opportunities I have today. If I can someday give back to my family by reciprocating all that they sacrificed, I will have that incomparable sense of achievement at its greatest.

There are two things I am undoubtedly passionate about in life. One of them is my amazing family. My younger siblings tolerated being dragged to my baseball activities to support me. My mom works part-time because it is important to be present for us. She juggles all of our everyday activities that need to get done. However, when it comes to baseball, my dad is absolutely the person I turn to. From when I was 4 years old and still to this day, I know that baseball is a tool I utilize in learning many life lessons. Not only has my dad taught me about the game of baseball, but he instilled in me the values to make good decisions and be a good human being. Consequently, baseball has become something I am strongly passionate about. Since my T-Ball days, I felt driven to figure out how to be better than the next person. When I was 10 years old, I was given the opportunity to be on a team representing the USA playing in the Dominican Republic. At 11 and 12 years old, I was selected to play for Team USA in Mexico and Taiwan respectively for the World Baseball/Softball Confederation. When I was 12, we won GOLD that year! That moment was unforgettable. About 12,000 Taiwanese fans were cheering against us. Seeing that many people in the baseball stadium watching us play for the championship was surreal. I felt like I was a major league baseball (MLB) player. The adrenaline rush is indescribable! However, making my passion to play in the MLB a reality is going to be tough. There is less than a 1% chance of making it to the MLB. So I use the values from baseball to keep me focused on my end goal. Being a perfectionist makes me work well in pressure situations and get the job done. I have an impeccable work ethic. I practice consistently to improve my strengths. On the flip side, I am accountable for errors and work on my weaknesses. Being well aware that playing professional baseball is a reach, I have a backup plan to be involved in baseball/sports in some way. Hence, Sports Management will be my major at California Lutheran University. I will strive to be successful athletically and academically. My time at Harvard-Westlake (HW) has been demanding. The challenges include a rigorous education and playing high-level competitive sports. HW is the 6th best private high school in the country and ranked 17th for the best baseball school in the state. Having to manage the stresses of being a student-athlete, I also worked through emotional and mental issues that really pushed me to find my inner strengths. The fortitude I possess now, physically and mentally, has played a significant part in my accomplishments. My parents always taught me the importance of establishing a good future. Wherever my path may lead, I will show my gratitude because it is a key value we must share with each other. If I make it to MLB or become successful in the Sports Industry, I want to support those less fortunate and give them a hand by donating essentials or opening a door to any opportunity I can give them. With my knowledge, skill, talent, and life experiences, I hope to inspire others in some way.