MEMPHIS, TN (MSCS) – Achieving excellence in school is not an easy task, especially when academics are combined with athletics or the arts. However, having discipline and a positive attitude makes a huge difference, and that is the case of Axel S., a Hispanic student at Colonial Middle School who likes to set the tone for success. 

Born in Memphis to Mexican parents, 14-year-old Axel already knows what his main priorities are: family comes first; then, school; and last but not least, soccer, which he has been playing for about ten years. 

“I’m going to do my homework and turn it in first, because it is important, and then I’m going to play,” Axel said in an interview on MSCS Contigo, a Spanish-language program that is specifically dedicated to the Hispanic community of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. “My grades always have to be good, B’s or A’s. Soccer doesn’t affect me that much; I always go to school first and then worry about soccer.” 

More than a sport, soccer is what this young student-athlete loves most; so much that he plays as a defender or goalkeeper for the Gallos Revolution – a Memphis-based soccer team – and for the Colonial Middle School’s team. He actually dreams of becoming a world-renowned soccer player when he grows up, just like his favorite player, Jorge Sánchez. 

This dream is not too far from reality as Axel was recently selected to train with Nido Águila Dallas, the official youth academy of Club América, one of Mexico’s most prestigious professional soccer teams. Through this special program for young athletes, Axel has been able to travel within the U.S. and overseas to play soccer. As a matter of fact, he went to Barcelona, Spain, to compete in the Mundialito, which is often referred to as the “Real World Cup” for youth players from around the world. Other places he has visited to play soccer include Nashville, Tennessee; Arkansas, Delaware, and Florida.  

Besides wanting to become a soccer star, Axel describes this sport as a platform for making many friends both at school and on the field. He says it allows him to improve his athletic skills and grow with more character and a greater sense of camaraderie, teamwork, and responsibility.  

Axel plans to play in Mexico in November and in Madrid next year. In the meantime, his focus is on starting off eighth grade on the right foot, attending classes and practices every day, and continuing to excel in both academics and athletics – while keeping a good attitude all the time, of course.

“If you keep a good attitude, people will look at you and say you’re a good person; and that’s what you want from people,” said Axel, who, in addition to being an excellent student at MSCS as well as a promising professional soccer player, plans to go to college after graduation to study Law.

* To learn more about Axel, we invite you to watch this video:

https://youtu.be/2RJ0gnG4NG8?si=DAkuG65r3G6tKYvA