Kevin Perez '18 Recruiting Profile

It was almost four years ago, but it feels as if this happened yesterday. Since that day, giving my one hundred percent in everything is not even something I think about now it’s a habit. It was a normal Saturday morning. My parents woke up my younger sibling and me to do our daily chores. I usually vacuum and clean the bathrooms while my brother cleans the rooms. My house was not only a place where chores got done, but also where life lessons were taught. My mom and brother went to the store to get groceries, leaving my father and I to do the chores. I went to go tell my father that I was done, and, as he always did, he took a look at my abysmal attempt at cleaning. He came back to me, and told me something that would change my perspective forever. To this day, I still reference what he told me in day-to-day activities. My father told me, “Why did you clean like this? Kevin, let me tell you something: If you are ever going to do something, anything, give it your all. If you’re going to work as a toilet cleaner, you be the best toilet cleaner in the whole world. I want you to give your best work at all times, to never give up, to always give 100 percent to everything.” To others this may not have been a big deal, but to me, this meant the world. Considering that I was not at my best point when this happened due to stress in my life, this put me back on an even better path than I was on.

I’ve applied my dad’s mantra to my education, and it has benefited me in a variety of ways. In all my studies, I have always given my all and I have always  tried to be the best. I have a lot of self-confidence because I know that I can strive for better everytime. I know that if I want to be the best at something, I have to work for it. That is how I have been since that day, always striving for improvement because nothing in life is just handed to you and you always have to go beyond your limits and persevere through because I know if I put my mind to something, nothing will stop me from achieving it. I always will work towards success and bettering myself because I have my parents who believe in me, and I know that if I give my best effort I will get there.

Since my father told me to always try my best and never give up I have become a better athlete. I have been playing sports since I was six years old and I’ve been going to the gym every day for the past year. I have played sports for fun up until high-school. That is when I became serious about them. I play soccer, track and field, and cross country. Soccer is a difficult sport to be able to play in college. While my high-school doesn’t have the best equipment, that has never stopped me from cheering on my team and encouraging them to play with heart and determination in every game. Many can say they won against me, but they can never say they outworked me. I will never let anyone say that. I’m hardworking, and I will never give up until I achieve a given task. Win or lose, I will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, or focusing too much. I am just trying to be the best version of myself and, in order to do that, I give 110 percent in every sport, workout, and especially my academic life.