Sebastian Gonzalez Ortiz

During soccer tryouts, in a different country, where a different language is spoken and people live differently, I made the decision to apply all my energy. If I didn’t I would never know what could have been. It was the first day of tryouts. I was nervous and a heightened state of excitement invaded my body. I used my love for soccer to play like never before, giving it my all in the field.

Later that afternoon, while I was waiting for my mom to pick me up, clouds began to gather and cover the whole sky. It looked like it was going to rain for sure. I heard footsteps approaching so I turned my head to see who it was. To my surprise, it was the soccer coach walking toward me smiling and waving his hand. Nervously, I waved back. With every step, he took the thoughts in my head got louder and louder. My inner voice wondered, “could it be that you’re in, or is he acting nice to break the bad news?” He was finally standing in front of me holding his cellphone. Using Google to translate he asked, “what number do you want on your varsity shirt?” I did it! I had a place on the team at my new school. I was the only sophomore on the varsity team and it had only been a month since I arrived from Ecuador. At that moment a raindrop hit my forehead and it was like waking from a nightmare to a dream where I was a firework shining bright in the sky.
It was a difficult time and I was concerned. It was not going to be easy to train after school, then translate my classes and do the homework...but I was not going to give up on my dreams. For the conclusion of all of the three academic years at Lyman Hall High School, I achieved the “English for Speakers of Other Languages” and the “Seal Of Biliteracy” which are the certificates that assure that I have mastered English as a second and fluent language. I also achieved the “All record journal” and “SCC All-Oronoque” which are achieved awards for being one of the top soccer players in the Southern Connecticut Conference and region.

Then College was my next challenge, but nothing was going to stop me. Thanks to my academic efforts, I was selected to be on the Dean's List at Albertus Magnus College. Students on the Dean’s List at Albertus are those who maintained a GPA between 3.8 and 4.0. I have received this award in the first and the second semester of 2019/2020 at Albertus Magnus College.

Now, after five years of hard work and dedication, I am finally used to this beautiful country and ambitious for more achievements as a future Electrical Engineer.