SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2022 / From foster care group homes and small town struggles, all the way to professional soccer contracts and Silicon Valley. The story of Victor Parra is one which will inspire any young person who finds themselves going through hard times.

Victor was raised in the small city of City Falls in Rhode Island. With no father in the picture, he grew up in a one bedroom home with a single mom and his 2 sisters. During his youth, Victor's mother suffered periodically with her health and this resulted in Victor living in foster care group homes for a couple of years. However, the struggles of early life motivated Victor to go on and achieve some remarkable success thus far.

The Columbian American worked hard at his passion, soccer and it paid off in a big way. Victor received a full athletic scholarship for soccer to San Jose State University in San Jose, CA, where he became a NCAA Division 1 college soccer player. He was the first ever NCAA Division 1 student athlete to be awarded "Valedictorian" and the first ever in the university department's 24 year history. He was also the first ever Latino American to be chosen as the Valedictorian in the school's history. Victor signed a professional contract in Europe for Argozelo in Portugal's second division Liga Pro in 2017. He played there for 2 seasons. In 2019 he signed to play professionally in the MASL for California Express.

Parra was also a member of the United States Indoor Men's National Soccer team. He made his debut in an International friendly against Mexico, on September 14th, 2019 at Stockton Arena. His teammates included USA soccer legends Landon Donavan and Jermaine Jones. Victor leveraged his success in professional soccer to launch a thriving property investing business and the young star is going from strength to strength pursuing his big entrepreneurial goals.

Achieving so much at a young age is notable and we asked Victor if he had anyone who believed in him, in the beginning. ‘'My uncle, Rafael Parra, believed in me. He was one of the people who was there at an early age. He would take me to soccer training and he believed in my talent. We're not that close nowadays and I'm not sure why, but I appreciate everything he has done for me''.

What's the best part about being a professional soccer star?

We asked Victor what was his favorite part about being a professional soccer player and he told us it is ‘'keeping a very healthy lifestyle. I think a lot of people don't realize that soccer players have to be healthy and keep a very healthy lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I love to hang out with friends and go to a fun party here and there but only in occasional moments because I have to eat healthy, hydrate and stay my fittest so it doesn't affect my performance on the field''. Victor is very passionate about mentoring the youth. He has been a motivational guest speaker at many schools in both the east and west coast of the USA. ‘'I want to be the best role model I can be for kids. I give speeches at schools quite often and it's important for me to be a leader and guide young people to be the best they can be''.

What's the best part about being a professional soccer star?

‘'The worst part is the pressure, in terms of performance. Everyone has bad days, but in professional soccer, there is no room for bad days. Someone is always waiting to take your spot. If you have a bad day and let it affect you, it will feel like the whole world is on you. If you have a bad game in a huge game, that's what they'll remember forever. Most people don't remember the good things you did, they remember the worst, so you have to keep that in mind''.

Victor Has This Advice For Young People Who Are Going Through Hard Times

Victor has been on quite the journey and he has carved a successful path for himself despite coming from very humble beginnings. His best advice for young kids who might find themselves in the same position he was in, is ‘'stay focused, be consistent and keep working towards your goals. When things weren't going my way and I was staying in group homes [foster care], I just kept going and it all worked out in the end. Keep going''.

For more on Victor Parra, you can check him out on Instagram.

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SOURCE: Wide Variety Media