Aaron Retana '23 Recruiting Profile

As a cross country and track/field athlete, I have big college running and academic goals. My goal is to pursue a major in finance in my parents' footsteps and, along the way, use running as a competitive outlet. Although, I know that the road to my dreams and ambitions will be challenging and full of obstacles. I'm willing to and have been ready to persevere through challenges and obstacles and adapt my strategies to overcome the various hurdles in my journey to achieve greatness.

As an athlete, I find that I'm continuously trying to help those around me improve beyond the basic skills of hard work and determination. I work towards building strong relationships between my teammates, coaches, and peers to help me succeed on my own and succeed as a team. Not to mention the energy and commitment I bring to uplift those around me every day. Many of my peers and coaches stated that I am joyful and energetic. But, when it comes down to race day, I am 110% ready to do my best and more.

As an athlete, I am different from other recruits in my rigorous determination to continuously improve on the field and in the classroom. I may not be the fastest in my age group, but I have vast potential that I am working to maximize through my ever-adapting training. When I make mistakes or fail to meet my goals, I get back to the drawing board. I take the time to develop various ways to change aspects of my approach so that I come back exceeding my initial failures in the future. 

 As a student, I'm currently looking towards finding a career in finance, accounting, or real estate. My parents introduced me to these careers at a young age, and ever since then, I've grown passionate about following in their steps. Yet, in doing so, I want to make sure that the path I take in my studies is my own. Keeping my grades at a high standard is essential to me, so I like to plan and get work done promptly. However, it can be a struggle to balance studies and sports through the lessons I've learned from experience. I can better balance my life.