Jose Batista '15 Recruiting Profile

I am a natural soccer player who has been practicing the sport since I was four years old. Throughout my years in many schools and soccer clubs I have been recognized as MVP, Top Goal Scorer of the Year, First, Second and Third Place trophies in many tournaments and final category placements. More recently I received an Honorable Mention Recognition for the Dallas Independent School District as a Freshman and this current year as a sophomore, I was appointed to the First Team All-District. I have been playing with Texas Lightning Soccer club for the past two years. Here my team has played in Division I Select League in Arlington, Texas.  Although I am a true 97, I have played well above my age group for several years.  This has allowed me to gain physical strength, speed and agility.  This past season, my 97 team, has qualified to move up to Division III Classic League.  I am looking forward to this opportunity to compete at a higher level.  I train hard to play hard, leaving my heart on the field after every game.  I am a team player, for I believe that every player is crucial to the success of the team. Even when we are down on the scoreboard, I never give up, cheering my team on to work together and get the game in our favor.

Academically speaking, I am a competitive student who loves Science!  I have taken Pre-AP Biology, Pre-AP Chemistry, AP Biology and will take AP Chemistry and Pre-AP Physics next year and AP Environmental Science during my senior year. The only opportunity I have in school to take multiple AP Science courses is to double up on my Sciences.  If I follow this path, I will graduate with six sciences instead of the four-year requirement. This alternative has allowed me to realize my potential in this subject (obtaining recognized status on the Biology EOC exam last school year) and select Biology as my college major. I hold a GPA of 3.4 and improving and have been on the A Honor Roll for the past two years. I was selected as Exxon Mobile's STEM program Co-captain for the Dallas Mavericks, where I got to meet Jason Kidd, Delonte West and Dirk Nowitzky. I was selected amongst many candidates because of my academic record, achievement in sports and my interest in pursuing a career in the field of Science. During summer of 2011, I was selected to participate in UT Southwestern's Medical Center Summer STARS program for rising freshman.  Here I previewed my Biology course through lab experiences, group work and visits to multiple research facilities. I valued this experience for I felt very prepared during the past two school years, going through Pre-AP Biology and AP Biology.  This upcoming summer I was invited back to their new Physics program.  I hope to obtain the same competitive edge for this upcoming course.  During my freshman year, I had the opportunity to visit Texas A&M at College Station and Baylor University with a select of group of individuals through our school's Education is Freedom program.  I learn about many opportunities to prepare myself for college through this program as well as perform college searches that fit my needs. I am a member of my school's Rotary Interact Club, which is extremely involved within our community through, graffiti wipe out events, trash clean up, reading to younger students and volunteering for major school events.  I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to help my community and look forward to running for office next year to plan more events throughout the year.