The sounds of birds often wake me up in the morning. Nature is all around my home, and the ocean is close enough that I sometimes try to convince myself I can hear seals barking. I have been living in San Clemente since I was five years old. I now call the "Spanish Village by the Sea" my home after attending school, playing sports, and doing everything else a young boy does in San Clemente.

Although my path to the University of Southern California has me wandering a bit farther up the coast, I hope one day to return to San Clemente and raise my own family in the same environment I experienced. Additionally, I hope to pursue my passion for sports. While at San Clemente High School, I was a two-sport varsity athlete, and I even won the California State Championship in football. I want to give other young adults the ability to pursue their passion for sports by working in athletic administration either at the high school or collegiate level.

I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in Business Administration at USC while also working part-time with the football team. I am learning how my business studies intertwine with the work I am doing with the athletic department. My goal is to gain relevant work experience, so that I will be a competitive candidate for an assistant athletic director position upon graduation.

I get my work ethic from my parents -- even from my grandparents. I am from a family where meritocracy is omnipresent and work is the best way to be achieve a goal. This mindset has allowed me my athletic achievements and ability to further my studies. I am proud of the work ethic instilled in my genes and that I come from a dedicated and supportive household.

However, I notice faults in my parents. One way that I strive to be different is to not follow the continuity that has come before me and make my own path. While it is easy to stay on the beaten path -- and I have done so for most of my life -- I wish to take control of my own destiny. In order to do so I want to take more risks and not be afraid to mess up because I know that failing will allow me to grow and eventually lead to more success.

Part of making my own path is setting my goals and expectations for myself. I want to rely on my ability to trust and believe in myself. Yet, I find importance in not completely abandoning advice from family and friends. One phrase that always sticks in my mind is "wise men learn from the mistakes from others". I cannot always be wise, and I will sometimes make mistakes of my own, but I strive to learn from others around me, because that is the wise process.

Passion and personal responsibility are two words that describe Pete Carroll. Coach Carroll is well known for coaching the USC Trojans and the Seatttle Seahawks, but I believe that his true character comes from the himself not from where he coached. Carroll constantly strives to push himself and those around him to perform at their best every day. After reading his book Win Forever, I learned that anyone is capable of achieving their dreams if they have a passion and are willing to compete.

In 10th grade, my English teacher -- who has since become my mentor -- called me a Silverback Gorilla. I have taken to this name and I now identify with the gorilla as I am smart yet strong, strong yet kind, and kind yet careful. This primate species is only a few degrees away from man-kind and I can identify with the animals' strength and bonding while also understanding the human smarts and wit. What started as a nick name is now a similarity that I cannot unsee.

As a child I had a fort. It was a giant tree which has encircled an area no larger than a king size bed, yet my kindergarten friends and I felt as if it was our kingdom. We climbed and played in that fort from the time we got home from school to the time the street lights came on and we returned to our "other" homes. More than a decade later, I can still feel the sensation of defending the tree castle against the invasion of Kindergarten Knights from the next street over. I hope this natural connection will always be with me. 

Rising sign: 08 degrees Virgo

Sun sign: 28 degrees Taurus 

Moon sign: 28 degrees Cancer