Sydney Varela '22 Recruiting Profile

My story revolves around soccer cleats, stadium lights, and grass fields. Soccer is a large part of my identity and has made me into the person, player, and leader who I am today. From career highs such as playing with the highest ranked 6-A high school team in El Paso, to being chosen as the District 1-6A Newcomer of the Year as a Freshman, to being selected to the Rush National Select Team traveling to Italy, and guest playing for a local club team from El Paso to win the 2019 USYS Nationals in Nashville - every training session, every tournament, every award, every game, win or lose, has helped me grow and develop. There are lessons to be learned in both victory and in defeat. The highs and lows throughout my soccer career have defined me as a person, and through them I have learned to overcome adversity, focus on the positive, and persevere. Growth is my motto.

I truly believe the experiences I have gained academically in school and in all my years wearing a soccer jersey have helped me develop into a mature, understanding, and grateful person who wants to make a difference. I am ready to take my soccer career to the collegiate level and find a team and school that will be able to fulfill both my athletic and academic goals.

Through soccer, I have learned to be a humble leader and have learned to be resilient. I have learned to develop and value relationships both on and off the field. I have seen firsthand that a season can be cut short in an instant. From one day to the next, everything can change. 2019-2020 has taught me to embrace change and to value time spent with people you care about whether you share DNA or the soccer field. When I take the field for my school, I play alongside girls who are not just my teammates, they are my family.