Santana Gonzalez: Freshman Football Star

The Penn Freshman Football is restocked with keen, young competitors every year. For one athlete, though, it’s about more than just the varsity roster, for Santana Gonzalez, it’s about becoming your best self.

“Football is a great motivator to keep my grades up,” Santana said.

Santana says he is working hard this year to gain a varsity spot heading into next year.

“To get to that level, you can’t just do the bare-minimum. Football has become part of my life and I devote myself to it outside of practice as well,” Santana said.

While he’s not the biggest on the team, he doesn’t let that stop him. Santana has the drive to push through setbacks, and he does it well.

“I’ve always been on the smaller side compared to other players but being surrounded by this team and atmosphere encourages me to keep going. I’ve learned to use my size to my advantage and build up my strength,” Santana said.

The competition to become a varsity football player doesn’t take away from the camaraderie, especially for Santana.

“I see myself as a source of positivity for a lot of other players. I feel motivated to keep them motivated,” he said.

For now, Santana is focusing mostly on his goals for this season specifically.

“My ultimate goal is to make the starting lineup. That has been a dream of mine ever since I first saw the Penn football games when I was younger.” Santana said.