Trevor Buti '24 Recruiting Profile

In the past, I found it embarrassing when my mother showed her wall of my sports pictures to relatives or family friends; however, I’ve also been secretly proud of the collection. Lately, I find myself staring at the wall and reflecting on how athletics has never been just a sport. Through athletics I've grown, not just physically, and learned much more than the rules of the game.

In one picture, I’m an infant in my dad’s arms as he coaches my high school’s JV football team. I was lucky to be on the field as a young boy, where I learned the traits of raw hard work from the giant high school players that surrounded me every afternoon. They competed for playing time, sweat through hard practices, and won championships. I follow their examples in athletics but have learned to translate the lessons to all aspects of my life, whether it’s in the classroom, an internship, or helping in my community. Recently, I volunteered at my local Lions Club fair booth and was recognized for my persistence in break-free work all five days. Being able to use my dedication to impact the world makes me eager to learn and accumulate more experiences.

In so many pictures on the wall, I’m huddled with athletes who aren’t just a team, but a family. Even as a young kid, I was building connections and friendships in recreational sports. Many of my fondest memories come from traveling weekends with my competitive baseball team. Although we were one of the top teams in California, the many nights we shared together doing flips in hotel hot tubs are the times I remember. The team paved my social connections into high school. In high school, Varsity Golf season is something I look forward to every year. Our team doesn’t bond through physicality like other sports, such as my football team, instead, we bond and joke about the mental clutches the game of golf holds us in. In the fun, energetic van rides down to matches with Mr. Wadman and the “Wad Squad,” the golf team made us into brothers. The family-like bond of our golf squad is also strong because of our similar goals for success.

For as long as I remember my dad would ask me prior to each sport season, “What’s your goal this time?” Reaching goals in athletics always kept me on my toes. Upon entrance into high school, I continued this mindset in athletics and adapted it to my passion for academic excellence. Determined to achieve future success in college and as a scholar-athlete, I set two big picture goals: to compete in three sports a year throughout high school and to complete every offered AP or Honors science course. The reality I faced was that high school was much more chaotic than anticipated. With officer positions in both CSF and NHS, 6 AP and Honors classes, competitive travel golf, alpine ski events, family gatherings, a job, assisting my sister with cerebral palsy, and much more, sticking to my goals was difficult, but allowed me to avoid stereotypical high school distractions. Setting goals helped me manage my time and honor commitments. As I’m nearing the target, I realize I’m a much more resilient person. 

A coach once told me that their job wasn't just to win, but to help us grow into respectful, responsible, and hardworking humans. That statement has always stuck with me. Presently, I can’t wait to shift my focus further to my passion for science. I’ve always put my education first. Now, I’m ready to use the lessons I’ve learned in athletics to pursue a college education. Twenty years from now I see myself staring at this same wall, only then an arrangement of college degrees hangs next to the images of a kid who found meaning in athletics.