Many students dream of one day getting accepted into a highly competitive university, either as an academic accomplishment or to play in an upper division for their sport.
Soccer player Andrew Miles has accomplished both.
As a junior, Miles committed in early August to the Ivy League University Cornell to play Division I soccer.
Finding a passion for something isn’t always easy for people, but Miles has always felt his love for soccer.
“I always knew I wanted to go somewhere with soccer, I didn’t know what that was, and then in the past few months, this whole college thing came into reality,” Miles said.
During Miles’ starting career in sixth grade, he moved to Scotland to gain a unique experience for the game.
“In Scotland, I signed for the professional team Patrick Thistle, after six months of training with Rangers [another professional team],” Miles said.
Three years later, he decided that it was time to move back and obtain support from the people of his hometown.
Miles does not play for San Marin, and instead chose to play with Napa Youth Soccer Team (Napa United), a program that focuses on helping kids reach their full potential.
“I signed a contract with Napa and MLS (Major League Soccer) saying that I won’t play high school due to injury concerns,” Miles said.
Miles attributes his successful Cornell commitment to Napa United, for their guidance in his journey.
“My coach, Gavin Taylor, he’s a great guy, he helped me a lot,” Miles said. “Without him this probably wouldn’t be happening.”
While many colleges do not make such high offers during an athlete’s junior year of high school, Miles was in contact with the University of Washington, Yale, Princeton, Saint Mary’s, and some Division III schools. But Cornell was amongst Miles’s top choices of schools when looking for a commitment.
“It’s a small town, it’s not really a city… [Cornell’s] campus is a really nice campus, the coaches were great, the players were great, the people there are great,” Miles said.
As Miles continues his academic and athletic journey at San Marin, he continues to show perseverance and excellence in his final years, by taking three Advanced Placement (AP) courses this year, including AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, and AP Language and Composition.
