Jaylin Wheeler '19 Recruiting Profile

    Soccer has made a huge impact on my life in a positive way. Soccer has given me the opportunity to meet lifelong friends and build relationships with people I otherwise would have never met. It has also taught me life lessons such as, being a team player. For example, although I was the leading scorer my freshman and sophomore year on my high school team, I volunteered to move to defensive midfield my junior year because my team needed possession throughout the midfield. Although my offensive statistics were not as high as previous years, I got great satisfaction that  our team went on to have a very successful season. This taught me it isn’t always about the stats, but it is always about team.

    I’ve learned to overcome adversities throughout my career of playing soccer. At 8 years old I was diagnosed with epilepsy. It has been really hard being the only person I know with this disease. There was even a time when I was scared to continue to play soccer, because every time I played I was afraid I would have a seizure. However, with the love and support of my parents, coaches, and teammates they helped me overcome this obstacle and become the player I am today. Having epilepsy has encouraged me to want to pursue a career in the medical field. My goal will be to help children who have epilepsy overcome the challenges they will face in life.