Marcus Barnum '20 Recruiting Profile

        I believe that the low points of life made me appreciate all the good times.

For example, my long, hard fought battle with depression and anxiety.

In this, I constantly felt like I did something wrong or was the middle man off every ones problems.

Once I hit my lowest point I told myself I was going to fight back.

I told my parents how I was doing and that I wanted to see a therapist.

Since then, I have got some medication for it and I feel so free now.

I no longer take everything so serious.

Therefore I have started to go out more with my friends, go to more social outings, and just overall enjoy being in public.

These are the reasons I believe this is my greatest obstacle and why it shapes me as a person.

        A unique character trait I have is resilience.

I feel like this describes my personality perfectly.

Even though I have struggled with depression and anxiety.

I was able to bounce back and move on to better things.

This is the reason I feel that resilient describes me perfectly.

        On the topic of resilience, I believe this translates over to soccer.

I became interested in soccer when I was about six years old.

One of my friends at the time asked me to play on his rec team with him.

Since then I have fallen in love with the sport and the process.

I continued to play rec ball until I was fifteen, and decided to tryout for my high-school team.

There will be down sides along the way.

However, my passion for the sport drives me to keep improving.

This is why I feel resilience translates into soccer as well.

        In playing soccer I have learned it is not just being part of a team it is being a family.

We will all go through ups and downs.

However, we will be able to work through them together.

It is selfish to only think about yourself.

You have to work together to achieve success on the field and off.

These are a few example why I think soccer is not about being a team member.

It is about being a part of a family.

        On the flip side of athletics is academic.

My academic goals for the future include graduating high school with an advance studies diploma, and focusing on classes that will help me reach my college degree.

I strongly agree that academics is an important part of college.

However, that does not mean you can't enjoy a sport either.

These are a few reasons I am really exited for the college experience.