Shanaka Perera '22 Recruiting Profile

One of the first sports I played was soccer. Soccer offers me a community where I can work at what I am passionate about, while allowing me to be comfortable with my teammates as we work to reach our goals.

I’ve always been blessed with the gift of speed, as I am typically one of the fastest kids on the field. However, I am also one of the smaller kids on the field. I prove that I am an able defender by using my strength and speed to my advantage to keep my opponents from scoring. This last high school season I earned first team all league honors by showing, that despite my size, I can defend the bigger opponents.

Soccer as taught me many great lessons, mainly that I can lead by example. I have been with the same team and coach for 6 years now, where I have developed a great understanding of what he expects of me and have since been able to captain my team. As a shy kid, soccer offered me a great place to grow individually, as I learned to speak up when needed, communicate with my teammates, and I learned how to lead people. I came to realize the importance of speaking up when needed to, but more often than not I lead through example, as teammates shape their actions based on mine.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stopped me and many other athletes from enjoying what they love most in sports, by calling off games and practices. Fortunately, I am at an age and level where I am able to go off and work on my craft without assistance from coaches. However, as the pandemic progressed, I realized there were many others who were unable to improve as they lacked guidance. This realization helped me to mature and develop as a person and it was my motivation to volunteer with New Alternatives for Children (NAC) in their Let’s Get Moving intuitive. I made instructional basketball videos, which NAC provided to the children in their program. 

 Academically, I am striving to maintain a gpa above 4.0 for the remainder of my high school career. I hope this will propel me into a college that fits me and where I can find a community of friends within my team. I look forward to potentially discovering what new lessons and skills college soccer has to offer me, as it will hopefully shape me to be a better person.