- 2023 Highlights
Personal Statement
My name is Benjamin Fata Faye and I am a 16-year-old student-athlete prospect from Dakar, Senegal graduating in 2024. I started playing when I was 7 years old and it definitely became my passion. My first time playing was with some friends in the dirt and this is when I realized that I love this sport and I want to pursue it while I study in the US.
Soccer plays an important part of my life as it is the first sport I have played competitively in my life. It is one of the most popular past-time activities in my country and everyone enjoys watching our national soccer stars such as Sadio Mane competing on the international stage. Although Senegal is a developing country and does not have much visibility outside of the African continent, our star soccer players represent our country and showcase the values of discipline, competitive ability of the people of my culture. Their upbringing and career stories always move me and make me realize that I can also become an ambassador of my country.
I still remember playing soccer in the sand, not knowing exactly what the point of this sport was. I was just focused on having fun and winning. As I grew older, I realized I had a passion for playing soccer as it became my favorite sport. For this reason, I decided to join my first soccer club named DSC (Dakar Sacre Coeur), where I learned how to improve my skills such as team-spirit, self-confidence, and leadership. At first, I played as a right-wing because I was fascinated about scoring goals or assisting my teammates to score goals. Later, I became more mature and my understanding of the game deepened. I learned that there is more to soccer than scoring goals. I learned about being a good role player and how a positive attitude can lead to victory.
Later, I joined my school varsity team and I was always ready to give it my all so that we could win and increase the reputation of my school’s soccer team. The challenging competition against better teams shaped my character and nourished my determination to pursue competitive soccer. Even though the competition was very fierce, our wins inspired the younger students to participate and I felt proud to be among the students that motivated the younger kids to get involved in extracurricular activities.
Today, I am proudly part of a regional club named “Dakar Etoile Football Club” where I play as a left back. My club feels like family and we have a team that competes in the toughest youth regional division I tournaments. My coaches and teammates have become my biggest source of support. Being around them makes me a better player and person. Their presence shows me that I can accomplish anything. This year, I had a lot of playing time in our regional championship where I realized that I love the competition. Having the chance to play more time showed my coaches that I had the potential to help my team win. This helped me improve my defensive skills and my ability to distribute the ball to the offensive players.
Off the field, I have maintained a 5/7 (3.2 GPA), showing how my dedication is the same whether it comes to studies or soccer. I feel even more motivated when I have some teammates going to the same school as me and studying in a group with me. Balancing sports and academics taught me time management, good attitude, and discipline. I carry those values and qualities everywhere I go. The idea of facing new competition and challenges excites me and it is the reason why I believe I can succeed in the US as a student-athlete. In the US, the students have the best resources, universities, and coaches. They give scholarships and help kids become more self-confident when they perform on and off the field.
I would love to meet new people and learn how to perform in this very competitive environment. I believe in teamwork and am confident that I can bring dedication to further help my future team win. I am very excited to play and study in college as I know it would open doors to many opportunities for success. Playing in the highest soccer division is my goal just like I did in Senegal. This way, I can keep inspiring the younger kids to achieve more and do it the American student-athlete way. I strongly believe that my diverse background and work ethic will make all my teammates work harder and help any team win more.
