"Goaaaal!!" is what I heard my Papa and Dad constantly screaming in celebration in our living room. As an 8 year old, I would find joy cheering with my family for the Mexican National Team and surround myself with the culture. I found the sport so exhilarating, I would nag at my Dad to let me play soccer for the city and eventually I was a new player on Team Fire. These leagues only enhanced my liking for the sport even more. Not only was I learning how to pass, dribble, and score but also being able to meet lifelong friends in the process. In sixth grade I tried out for my first travel soccer team. My soccer buddies at school described the good times they had traveling and playing together. I desired to be part of the fun but try outs did not work in my favor. Left more distraught each time, I would continue trying out for the travel team for three more years with the same result. This constant rejection was washing away my love for soccer. With low self-esteem, I would still force myself to go out and practice with the lower level team. Every time I practiced with the rag tag team in town I felt less enthusiastic about the sport I once had so much love for. Most of those players just wanted to fulfill their parents orders and did the bare minimum. The games we played had terrible outcomes. I was about ready to give up on the sport it seemed had given up on me, but then high school soccer was coming around the corner. I figured I would try one last time to be a part of a team that valued the bonds and sport as much as me. I had a determined, confident, and driven mindset. To my surprise, I made the Leon High School soccer team my freshman year and continued for four years. The mindset shift from my childhood to my high school career made me realize something about life. Throughout your life, you will be let down multiple times. You will be discouraged and even though you try your best, you might still fail. Picking yourself up after these hard times is how a person learns valuable life lessons. In soccer, players face many difficult moments including not making the team, losing games, getting benched, or sports injuries. These experiences are what motivated me to get better as a player. I saw that my game was not perfect but I was determined to critique my skill until I was better. Even though I was getting rejected by the travel soccer team, I persevered and continued training with the lower level team. Dedication and hard work after rejection has helped me improve both my soccer and my academic skills. For the next four years in my educational career I will be studying Computer Science at the University of Central Florida. A computer science degree requires high levels of patience and determination. A computer scientist requires you to solve software problems in which one wrong inputed number will result in an error. Since I've experienced many discouraging moments, I will be able to accept the problem level-headed and use it to motivate me. Excelling in my field of study will take a lot of effort, but hard work will take me anywhere. Not only has soccer connected me with my culture and given me a second family but it has also given me a mindset of determination and confidence that will help me in my career and life itself.