Academic Excellence
I graduated from the University of Central Florida in December, 2011, with an Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which consists of two main areas of studies as well as selected minors. My focused areas were Education and Behavioral/Social Sciences. Additionally, I have minored in Coaching and Health Sciences. My objective when choosing my areas of study and minors was to learn and understand more about the variety of situations I would encounter throughout my coaching career. The goal was to correlate, integrate and implement all the knowledge acquired from different, yet related disciplines, in order to become a top-notch coach.
All the course-work completed within my area of Education, accompanied by my Coaching minor, has enabled me to become a more effective teacher. My academic experience has enabled me to become proficient in breaking down sport-specific skills into several steps, aiming to facilitate the learning process of my athletes. The program has also shaped me into a confident leader, able to share knowledge, as well as values and experience about the game of soccer; and deliver information in the most simple and efficient way. Furthermore, I believe that throughout the years at UCF, I became a better coach through learning the relevant principles and methods of coaching and expanding my knowledge of soccer.
All the course-work completed within my area of Education, accompanied by my Coaching minor, has enabled me to become a more effective teacher. My academic experience has enabled me to become proficient in breaking down sport-specific skills into several steps, aiming to facilitate the learning process of my athletes. The program has also shaped me into a confident leader, able to share knowledge, as well as values and experience about the game of soccer; and deliver information in the most simple and efficient way. Furthermore, I believe that throughout the years at UCF, I became a better coach through learning the relevant principles and methods of coaching and expanding my knowledge of soccer.
"A coach is, first of all, a teacher" - John Wooden
While pursuing my “Behavioral/Social Sciences” area of study, I was able to accumulate knowledge on how to assist athletes in improving their athletic performance, while creating a “task-oriented goal” that focuses on building skill, striving for excellence, mastering the task at hand and giving complete effort. Moreover, I was able to learn about efficacious coaching practices, such as adequate methods for giving feedback, rewarding and reinforcing behavior, communicating, and nurturing positive self-fulfilling prophecies. Ultimately, my "Behavioral/Social Sciences" area of study helped me to better comprehend that merely being physically conditioned is not sufficient to fully prepare the athlete. In order for an athlete to be able to perform at his/her peak, he/she needs to be very well conditioned in every aspect of the game, including the mental part. Contradicting what many people think, physical condition isn’t enough for an athlete’s success. Mental and emotion condition is vitally important and should be part of every athlete’s concern.
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." - Mahatma Gandhi
Due to not speaking English on my arrival to the USA, I initially found the classroom a difficult environment. It wasn’t a case of just doing the work, it was understanding what I even had to do and putting it into writing. However, despite the language barrier, I was very determined to do well and put in the work and effort to succeed even if that required certain sacrifices along the way. I continued to apply this work ethic even when my English gradually became more fluent and the results were reflected in my grades. In both 2010 and 2011 seasons, I was awarded NSCAA College Scholar all American Honors for the combined success of my academic and sporting achievements. In addition to this award, I consistently was a member of the CUSA Commissioner’s Honors Roll in every single semester, from start to end of my Bachelor's Degree course.
Dec 2011 - Graduated from the University of Central Florida - Undergraduate Studies.
