Karim Selim '15 Recruiting Profile

The talent that is most valuable to me without a doubt is my ability to play many sports. This ability comes with my best personal quality and accomplishments that I have achieved. My favorite sport is soccer; I have been playing this sport for my entire life and have contributed to my school’s U14’s to the U19’s soccer team. I recently captained the U19’s soccer team that went to Italy and medalled 3rd in the B tournament. Not am I only good in football but also a good leader in the eyes of my teammates, this is why I love soccer because it combines my best qualities and forms a team player. My second sport is rugby at an international junior level for the Saudi Arabia Select U18’s rugby league team and at a local level for Jeddah Rugby Club (union). I won player of the first match in our international MENA championship in Lebanon. Furthermore, I have also played in the U19’s Volleyball team and came first in Saudi Arabia, last year in the SAIKAC Tournament. I am proud to be the student athlete that all schools promote; balancing good grades with sporting achievements is one of the hardest things to do especially during an intensive IB course. I have learnt to pass on my soccer skills to others by teaching children U11 children during my weekend and seeing the joyful faces of the children is something that lifts my spirits. Playing these sports has allowed me to travel inside and outside Saudi Arabia, as I witnessed different worlds. I feel privileged to see the different countries and civilizations, which has fostered my thirst for knowledge by seeing new things and adapting these new life skills into my own world. Being part of the athletic community had a tremendous implication on many aspects of my life; one of which is how I spend, utilize and effectively manage my time with pressure of the busy schedule of studies, exams and heaps of work I learnt how to synchronize my academic with sports activities in a totally balanced manor. Moreover, self-actualization was nourished with each time I was part of a winning team. Eventually, the time spent on athletic activities was not only filling my time with enjoyable and effective results but also helped me achieve inner peace and build up my self-confidence. As soon as I step on a pitch I experience a sort of epiphany, I belong on a pitch with the adrenaline infused air and the freshly cutgrass are images that are irreplaceable. Sports developed my competitive attitude towards studies but also made me realize my limits and when to use my moral and ethical judgment. I am proud to be part of a team that I treat like my family, playing a sport that I love and most importantly learning from the experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life and will be a life lesson for the future.