What is your name and grade level? My name is Albert Bogdan and I am currently a senior.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I really enjoy playing soccer. I’m a goalkeeper for the varsity soccer team and have been for the past 2 years. I like to spend time with my brothers. It kind of sucks because one of them is in college and the other is always traveling for his job, but whenever I can see them it’s always a great time. Me and my middle brother both play goalie so we like to compete here and there about who has the better stats and stuff.
Who is your biggest inspiration? My biggest inspiration is probably my brother Dominick. He’s the middle child in our family. Me and him have the same sense of humor so it’s fun to be around him. Dom (Dominick) has always been smart academically since the first grade so kind of like soccer I like to compete with him in that way. He is also the type of guy to focus on what he does and do it to the best of his ability, so I try to imitate that in what I do. If I had to choose someone else it would be Michael Jordan since he had the drive to be the best version of himself and focus on winning. I’m just trying to be the best person I can be.
Can you tell me some of your in-school and out-of-school accomplishments? I won the regional championship with the soccer team last year. It was a great feeling and the environment was unlike anything I’ve witnessed before. I even unexpectedly met a guy over the summer who I bought cleats from that was at that regional final game, which is insane in perspective. In school, I’ve been doing Point tutoring for the past few years. I envision myself in other people’s shoes and try to have others avoid the same mistakes in my academic career. It’s more fun than hard work, to be honest. I’m sitting on a 4.6 GPA so I’d consider that an accomplishment. My project won at the National History Fair along with my good friend Alex last year which was pretty unique. I worked on that project for weeks and countless hours so I’m just glad I got something out of it. I also have won multiple awards for writing essays and poems at my Polish school, which makes me very proud to represent my culture.
What do you want to do after high school? Right now my dream is to go to UIUC and study Engineering. My brother Dom is doing that right now and says it’s going well so I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, some of my friends get into the same school so we can dorm together. I feel like that would be such a vibe. If I can, I’d like to play soccer post-high school, likely for the intramural team at Urbana.
What made you get into soccer and when did you start? I started playing soccer at like six or seven years old. I started playing as a forward due to my love for scoring, but grew my parallel for saving shots in middle school. I never really got into watching it though even to this day, I just like playing it. I played basketball and volleyball in middle school and used my height to my advantage, but chose soccer to invest myself in since quarantine.
What is your favorite sport to watch, and who are a few of your favorite athletes? My favorite sport to watch is by far football. I’m a big fan of the beauty of the game. I love watching seven hours of commercial-free football every Sunday afternoon after a tough week. I’m hoping my fantasy team could pick it up with a slow start. My top 5 football players are Von Miller, Saquon Barkley, Patrick Surtain, A.J. Brown, and Russell Wilson. I’m a big fan of the Broncos but it’s been tough rooting for them since their 8-year playoff drought.
What is your favorite subject in school? I don’t really have a favorite subject, to be honest, but I mean math comes pretty easy to me so I guess I’d choose that. Honestly, even though I used to not like English, I have really come to terms and enjoyed it through high school. My favorite class has probably been the goat course AP Stats.
If you could go back in time and relive a moment in your life, what would it be? I’d definitely love to relive the moment we heard the last whistle to win the regional championship. Niles North soccer isn’t talked about as much as football or basketball even though we win just as much if not even more. But that moment, celebrating with coaches, teammates, fans, and even alumni who came and visited was unforgettable. I’m hoping that along with clinching the conference dub, we can win back-to-back regional championships this season.
Where do you see yourself in 30 years? In 30 years I’d be 47 so hopefully I’ll be settled down. I would like to have a stable career in engineering where I’d help change the world. I always hear that friends from high school never last, but I hope that I can keep in contact with my core group for the rest of my life. I hope to be able to travel the world, as I already love seeing family in Poland and Germany. I just want to keep working hard at whatever my passions become and be the best version of myself.
