Abu Danaldi experienced his most memorable Spanish class recently at Dunn Academy. Reading a passage out loud, Danaldi was rendered speechless when Alecko Eskandarian walked into the classroom with a large trophy.
Danaldi, now a senior, was honored with the Gatorade National Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year award; Eskandarian was last year’s award recipient.
“Words cannot even explain how surprised I was,” Danaldi said with a laugh. “They gave me the trophy, and I had to put it down so I could take a breath.”
Danaldi said his host family knew about the award ahead of time—and used good acting skills to keep it a secret.
The Dunn senior said he couldn’t remember being this excited about something in his entire life. The award is handed out annually to one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The award acknowledges players with both outstanding academic and athletic achievement.
Since arriving at Dunn Academy, Danaldi has enjoyed a continued pattern of success both on and off the field, making him a worthy recipient of such an honor. According to a press release from the Gatorade Player of the Year Program, Danaldi scored 25 goals this last season, racking up at least one goal every game. A three-time MVP, Danaldi also maintains a 3.13 GPA in addition to volunteering as a youth soccer coach and camp counselor.
Much of Danaldi’s success can be attributed to his tremendous work ethic, something he learned in his home country of Ghana, Africa.
“In the environment I am from, you don’t get things for free,” he said. “You have to work really hard to get what you want.”
Danaldi is continually motivated by his family back home in Ghana, which includes his parents and four brothers who inspired him to play soccer.
“There was a soccer field right next to my house,” he explained. “We would play every day and at night by the light of the moon.”
The soccer star shared that his ultimate goal is to one day go back and help his family live a better life; he doesn’t want them worrying about what they will eat every day. To top off his year, Danaldi will soon begin a new adventure at UCLA; he recently signed a National Letter of Intent to become a Bruin soccer player.
“I’m looking forward to playing there, working hard, and doing everything I can to help move the team forward,” he said.
Although he’s excited to move on, Danaldi said he’ll miss the Santa Ynez Valley and all of its helpful people; he definitely plans to come back and visit.
“I will be starting a new life in LA,” he said. “I never dreamt of all this happening, it has taken my breath away.”
This article appears in May 22-29, 2014.