I overcome barriers. When I was 10 years old, I decided that I wanted to seek out better opportunities to study and play baseball in the US. However, I had a problem – I had great difficulty reading and writing in English. I saw it as a challenge, not as a insurmountable problem. I worked hard in middle school and into high school. When my friends were out at the city pool during summer vacation, I was in a library working on my English. Now I am #1 in my class in my class of 186 with a 3.99 GPA.

I am a fighter. When the pandemic started, leagues stopped, travel teams paused, I couldn’t return to Cary, NC to continue fighting for a spot on the US national team. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I pivoted. I decided to improve my overall strength. Without gyms, I found a trainer who could work with me with strength bands, towels, medicine balls, yoga, and isometrics. If I can’t play, I am going to find a way to get ahead. In the past 8 months, I have gained 25 lbs. of muscle and I am in the best condition of my baseball career thus far. Life if full of challenges, but those who succeed find a way “to make lemonade out of lemons.” I have done that all my life.

I am a team player. I take pride in the fact that I can play lots of different positions – whatever I can do to help my team. I am trained as a shortstop in the Dominican school of baseball. My longtime Dominican coach is a head of scouting for the Pericos of Puebla in the Mexican professional league. His philosophy is to learn to play shortstop and then branch out to different positions. I can play all infield positions and all outfield positions. I also pitch. I haven’t caught since I was 13, but if a coach felt that it would help my team. If I can help my team, I will do it.

I never back down from a challenge. I believe that you cannot improve as a player without playing alongside better players and learning. I train alongside professional players in the Mexican professional league and work with very demanding coaches who ask a lot from you both on and off the field. This summer season, I am moving to Atlanta to play up a category with Danny Pralgo at 6-4-3 DP on the 17U Cougar team. I am not afraid to fail. In college, there will be moments where I feel overwhelmed but I am the type of student and baseball player when confronted with difficulty will find a way to succeed.

I have a great passion for aeronautics and aerospace engineering and my goal is to work in this industry. I have flown experimental planes and I am also working towards achieving my pilot’s license. I am also taking college aeronautics courses at Minnesota State this year. This year I will also be interning at a local airport hangar. My goal is to attend a university that will challenge me academically, forward my desires to work in the aerospace and aeronautics field, and provide an opportunity to play for an excellent baseball program.