For senior Cameron Rafati, his love for soccer began when he spent weekends chasing soccer balls at Kids Love Soccer, a small, local soccer camp that his father sent him to. Rafati’s beginnings at Kids Love Soccer have turned into something much bigger: a commitment to play Division III soccer at Tufts University.
Since his start at laid-back youth camps, Rafati credits soccer for shaping much of who he is today. “I’m a pretty selfless person. I care a lot about the people around me and bringing them up with me,” Rafati said. “Soccer, being a team sport, has really helped me with that.”
When it came to thinking about college, Rafati didn’t originally expect soccer to be the focus. But after introducing himself to coaches and reaching out to schools he was interested in, he realized playing soccer in college was a very viable option. “When Tufts gave me an offer, I researched a lot about them and realized that they were a great school. That’s when I decided to accept,” he said.
Rafati looked into the program’s culture and characteristics, as well as its coaching staff. “The head coach of Tufts was just so nice,” Rafati said. “His personality definitely separated him from all the other college coaches I talked to.”
Since joining Menlo’s varsity soccer team in his junior year, Rafati has been known for his leadership. “He connects people on our team. […] He’s just a very good leader in that sense,” Rafati’s teammate, senior Charlie Allard said. “He plays at a higher level, and so he sets the standard for other people.”
Now, Rafati is motivated to embrace this upcoming chapter, both as a student and as an athlete. “What excites me most is the fact that it’s a new journey,” he said. “I’m going on the other side of the United States, and everything about it being new is super interesting. I’m just really excited.”
