Jared Cross '17 Recruiting Profile

I attend the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy in Raleigh, NC.  It is a single gender high school which partners with St. Augustine's University, an historically black university for early college.  WYMLA has a creed which applied to how I lived my lifee even before I began attending school there, and now even more so!  I am a LEADER.  When I walk into a room, people look up to me.  Not because I'm over 6' talk , but because I'm dedicated, responsible, and respectful.  I'm committed to scholarship, to learn about things--some of which I may not always be interested in at the time, but know that I may need to be aware of it in the future.

I am respectful to my family and committed to service.  For the past 10 years, I have hosted the Jared and Friends Annual "Growing to New Heights" Used Book Drive.  The books collected have benefited a variety of charities either by direct donation or by selling them and donating the funds received.  I currently serve on the First Tee of the Triangle's Junior Advisory Board, and through my First Tee participation have volunteered at the Rex Hospital Open for the past 3 years and this past year, I served as the Junior Course Reporter at the SAS Championship.  I also began volunteering as a Buddy with the Miracle League this past year and as a result, rekindled a friendship with a boy who I had met 9 years ago--although he didn't need much help from me during the games even though he is blind!  At the end of this school year, I received the Outstanding Student - Freshman Seminar, not because I had over 150 hours of community service for my first semester, but because in addition to my interest in volunteering, I actively encouraged my fellow students to get active and volunteer. I take responsibility for my actions and I am committed to success--not just of myself, but of those that I come in contact, in and out of school and especially my teammates.

I have played baseball since I was 5, but before that I always had a ball in my hand.  I am passionate about being the best player I can be and have always encouraged my teammates to do their best, whether I was playing in a rec team league, with a travel team, or with my high school team.  WYMLA partners with Needham Broughton High School for sports and I am the only one from WYMLA that plays baseball at the high school level.  Because I don't have a network of players or coaches around me during the day, I really need to be paying attention so that I know where to be, when to be, and how to be.  Once at Broughton, no one cares that I don't attend their school--we all just work together to play the best that we can.