My name is John Williams, and I live in Atoka, Oklahoma. A soccer moment that remains etched in my memory occurred during my first year in High School. I intercepted a pass near the midline intended for my left-wing teammate, yet the wind decided otherwise. The goalkeeper advanced out of the net to engage the ball. The wind altered the trajectory of the ball, causing it to bounce five yards in front of him and soar twelve yards high. With bated breath, I watched as the ball grazed the back of the net, marking a moment of immense pride; my teammates rushed towards me, celebrating our goal. Keep in mind I'm a defensive player. The adrenaline from that goal surged through me, fueling my performance throughout the rest of the game; and every time the story is told. The match concluded with a score of 1-0 in our favor, and my teammates rushed towards me, celebrating our victory.
My relocation from the heart of Texas to Southern Oklahoma happened when I was seven years old. I was enrolled in soccer soon after, marking the first of my friends in my new surroundings. My aspiration for the sport flourished, as I actively participated in every available season. Little did I know, my Grandpa, whom I referred to as Wizard, played a pivotal role in introducing soccer to Atoka—I found out only after his passing. Throughout my middle school journey, I remained committed to soccer, standing as the only applicant for the sport in my area. Financial constraints kept my participation in club teams or other leagues due to the registration fees and transportation expenses.
My professional journey started at the age of 11 when I took a role as a soccer referee. In those days, individuals above the age of 11 were eligible to officiate soccer matches, and after successfully passing the test, I took to the field as a referee at my local soccer grounds. I extended my contributions to a local gymnastics gym as a coach at 14; while still maintaining my role as a referee. I am very well known in my community and contribute to the aspiring youth who live in it. However, the fields were eventually closed due to a lack of volunteers from the community.
In terms of my aspirations, I am resolute in surpassing the achievements of my peers and cultivating unwavering mental resilience. The summer prior to my Senior year was full of activities. I participated in three educational week-long camps, acquiring six college credits. Pursuing employment opportunities whenever feasible. I also dedicated my time to summer pride to get in shape with my school and ventured to compete at TSA Nationals held in Louisville, Kentucky. My academic pursuits are to graduate High School with 36 college credits, and my current GPA stands at 3.94.
Beyond academics, my engagement extends to ten diverse extracurricular activities, including my participation in two sports: Football and my favored sport, soccer, which I obtained captain my Junior year and more than likely this following year. Additionally, I am actively involved in Robotics, Student Council, Youth Advisory Board, National Honor Society (serving as Vice President), National Technical Honors Society, Community Emergency Response Team, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, and I hold the role of Vice President within TSA.
In essence, my journey encapsulates my dedication to soccer, my multifaceted engagement in extracurricular activities, and my unwavering commitment to academic excellence. The lessons I've learned on the field, in leadership roles, and within my community have shaped my character and ambitions for the future.
It is 2023 and I have survived living in East Oakland. I made it through a pandemic, riots, looting, protests, crime, sideshows, garbage laden and an overwhelming amount of unhoused people. I moved here after 6th grade from Stockton, California. My Dad had passed away from a heart attack at the age of 33, and I was alone with my Mom. Living in an urban city is much harder than the suburbs. You become street-smart. It’s do or die. We hear fireworks or we hear gunshots. It’s a nightly game for the citizens of Oakland. A City that has an uptick of home invasions, and an abundance of gangs and drugs. Being a minority in a city full of minorities, and entering middle school as an outsider was difficult. I didn’t fit in. I had no shoe game. I didn’t listen to the right music. The kids made fun of me or tried to start fights to see what I was made of. The pandemic hit and my room turned into my classroom. All my classmates were stuck inside my Chromebook. I would get to see them on zoom, if only they turned on their cameras. For almost 2 years, I was isolated. Scared to catch covid, so that I wouldn’t get my Grandma sick. Anxiety about the society I lived in increased. Why were people fighting over toilet paper? I turned to football as my way out. I attended every camp, went to every practice and spent all my time in the gym. My coaches put it in my head that playing football in college, went hand-in-hand with good grades. That was my escape plan. I had to put in work in the classroom and keep my grades above a 3.5 GPA. I became Captain of any team I was on. I set the tone on the field and made a name for myself with the opposing schools. Coaches would tell me they tweaked their offenses to avoid my defensive plays. They would run plays on the opposite side of the field. I would hunt for the ball. I play like I am hungry, because I am. I take pride in all that I do. My hard work paid off as I was recruited to play football at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I survived. I plan on making a difference and getting a degree to help better myself and my family.
I need this scholarship financially because I am the first person in my family to go to college. Football opened the door to my college acceptance; however, it did not cover all the costs of my tuition. Unfortunately, I do not have a college-fund. I would be forever grateful to be awarded this scholarship.
Soccer, or fútbol, is one of those sports that has stuck with me ever since I was a kid, where the passion drove me to become a better player daily. However, life has its own obstacles and twists that no one could ever expect, especially me. My family and I would end up joining the adventure of constantly moving from house to house every 3 years to find the right home. Well, we found that home and have been living in it for the past 6 years, but my passion for soccer had slowly staggered and was becoming a thing of the past.
In elementary school, I ended up playing only soccer during recess every single day instead of the other sports and activities going on, just because it filled me with joy that was fulfilling. I would go on to middle school, where I was able to play for a team in 7th grade. It was an experience that I have never experienced before, the actual competitive atmosphere against other teams excited me and made me nervous as well. At this point, I was able to make friends and have new experiences I never thought I would have ever again. However, this blinded the truth behind my playtime on the field as I would sit on the bench for hours almost every game, not realizing that I was not getting the playtime I deserved. The first tryouts were a struggle to go through and now I could not even play in the games, It hit me that I was probably bad at the sport and was wasting my time. I would have one game, where I was able to be the goalkeeper and saved a freekick believing that portrayed what I could bring to the table on the field, but I was wrong when the next game the same bench-warming would resume until the end of the season. 8th grade would become a nightmare for me when it came to my favorite sport as I did not make the team. This would have become the lowest point of my soccer career at this point. The crushing feeling that you were enough for something you love. It hurt and would haunt me for months. Despite that, It taught me to become more, which meant practicing more and becoming better. To be ready for high school, the era of my accomplishments to date.
High school would become full of awards and achievements that surpassed what I was in middle school. It surpassed my expectation as a player overall. Everyone seemed to be a part of a club, but I was not due to the pricing. However, my performance and game from all that practice led to me becoming a varsity in my junior year of high school. The experiences from my past taught me to be diligent and strive for more on the field and off. It would teach me to break every barrier and obstacle that came in the past and to put forth the effort and work to reach a goal, no matter what. Because of this, my high school team and I would push forward before becoming district champions, a title I never thought I would reach. My high school experiences until now would fulfill my passion again when I was a kid and fill me up with an overflowing joy for the game of soccer, once again. I hope my story inspired others, especially freshmen to not give up on this sport because it can be done.
Thank You, Nasser Seconi. Rest Well.
