CSI sophomore Juan Herrera steps away from college soccer as family responsibility and financial pressure reshape his path.
By; Edin Pelinkoviq
The dinner rush at Angelina’s restaurant comes fast, and Juan Herrera barely stops moving between tables. Orders pile up as the noise grows louder and the pace never slows down. For Herrera, this has become his new routine, replacing something that once defined him.
Herrera, a sophomore at CSI, played on the men’s soccer team during his freshman year before stepping away. His decision traces back further, to when his family immigrated from Colombia while he was still young. That move shaped how he understands sacrifice and responsibility in his everyday life.
By his second semester, Herrera began feeling the weight of balancing school, sports, and finances. This pressure started to shift how he viewed his role at home and in school. “I loved playing for the team,” Herrera said, “but I started realizing there were bigger things I had to focus on.”
Soccer demanded time through practices, games, and travel, leaving little room for anything else. The schedule that once gave him structure started to feel limiting instead as responsibilities outside of school increased. “It got to a point where I couldn’t keep up with everything,” he said, “and something had to change.”
The need to help his family financially became harder to ignore as time went on. That responsibility pushed him toward making a difficult decision about his future and what he could realistically handle. “My parents sacrificed a lot coming here,” he said, “so I knew I had to step up and do my part.”
Now working long hours at Angelina’s restaurant in Staten Island, Herrera has traded cleats for shifts that stretch late into the night. The work is demanding, often leaving him exhausted before he even begins his school assignments. Still, he sees the routine as necessary for where he is in life and what he is trying to build.
Without soccer, Herrera had to rebuild his sense of structure on his own. The discipline he once relied on from the sport had to come from within instead of being scheduled for him. Each day became more about managing time and staying focused without that built-in system
Arlind Lata, who works for his family’s roofing company, faced a similar situation while attending school. Despite having opportunities to play college basketball, he chose to prioritize work and stability over continuing his athletic career. “I had chances to keep playing,” Lata said, “but working and helping my family mattered more to me.”
Hearing stories like Lata’s helped Herrera feel more confident in his own decision. It showed him that success does not follow one single path and can look different for everyone. Instead, it can come from making choices that fit personal circumstances.
Herrera now approaches challenges with a different mindset than he did as an athlete. He sees obstacles less as setbacks and more as part of the process of growing and adjusting. That shift has helped him stay focused even when the workload becomes overwhelming.
The lessons from soccer still carry over into his daily life. The work ethic, discipline, and consistency remain part of how he approaches both school and his job every day. Even without the sport, those habits continue to guide him forward.
Looking ahead, Herrera understands that his path is different from what he once expected. That realization reflects the choices he has made and the responsibilities he continues to carry. “At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for my family,” he said, “even if that meant letting go of something I loved.”
