Student-Athlete of the Week: Santiago Vélez
August 18, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Name: Santiago Vélez
Post-college ambition: Start my own business
Person with greatest influence on athletic career: Mom and Dad
Biggest thrill in sports: Scoring the game winner in high school championship in overtime
Athlete you most admire: Andrés Iniesta
What impresses you most about your coach: His dedication and discipline
What has been your biggest athletic obstacle to overcome: Broken 5th metatarsal in my foot this past spring
Hobbies and outside interests: Snowboarding, hiking, nature, and longboarding
Pre-competition superstition: Not superstitious
Favorite professional team: FC Barcelona
Favorite TV show: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Favorite class: MKT 441: Marketing Research
Favorite book: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
Favorite professor: Dr. Robert Carter
A "Stupid Human Trick" you can do: Belly dance
Person you would most like to meet: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Words that best describe you: Open-minded, skeptical, and curious
What people should know about you but probably don't: My parents are Colombian
If you could have dinner with three people (current, historical, fictional) who would it be: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Albert Einstein
Why you chose UofL: Amazing soccer program
Best part about being an athlete: Representing your school (friends, faculty, and staff) in competition
The moment you realized you was really good at my sport: When I started playing with the 18 year olds at age 11
Your favorite place to volunteer or do community service: I like to make friends with families in low-income neighborhoods and spend time with them and bring a few gifts
The strangest thing that ever happened to you while you were competing in your sport: Started to snow mid-game and could not see anything
What is your favorite place you have ever visited: The tropical savannah in Villavicencio, Columbia
What is your favorite season: Autumn because it is soccer season
