Giovanna Peroni '21 Recruiting Profile

I started playing soccer when I was six years old. Growing up, soccer has always inspired me to do better and be better, not only for myself but for my teammates too. Many of my teammates are also my classmates, and almost all of them just play soccer as an extracurricular activity. I always knew I wanted to play college soccer, so the level of intensity I had compared to them has always been different. I could notice most of them did not take practice seriously, so I would try to inspire them to push themselves and improve on their skills. I always think about what is best for the team. That is, during practices or a match, I figure out what is the best play to make that would benefit the whole team and not just make me look good.

This will to constantly challenge and improve myself is also reflected in the school. When I am interested in a subject, I always give my 100%. Last year, already knowing that I wanted to major in Psychology, I signed up for AP Psychology. AP Psychology not only confirmed that that is exactly what I want to learn, practice, and maybe teach when I am older, but it also made me realize how important it is to be mentally prepared for a game, especially in stressful moments. I have learned how to handle my stress and my anxiety and not to let it overwhelm me and cloud my focus and the objective I have on the game. Being mentally prepared is a big process, and it is not something easy to start and improve at, but I have noticed how I have gotten better and better at handling the pressure on me and my team before matches.  I still have a lot to improve on, but I am interested to see what tools majoring in Psychology will give me in order to give my best in the field, and help other athletes boost their performances as well.