CARSON, Calif. – Ethan Zubak and the rest of the seniors at the LA Galaxy Academy Blended Learning Environment made a unique sacrifice when they opted to leave their high schools for a new program at StubHub Center.
They would leave behind their classmates and friends for their all-important senior year to enroll in a new curriculum designed at helping them chase their dreams of one day becoming professional soccer players for the LA Galaxy. And one year later, all the sacrifices and all the difficult moments were worth it.
“The reason why I chose this is because the Galaxy is the top soccer organization in the country and one of the top in all of the professional sports,” Zubak, who was named the program’s valedictorian, told LA Galaxy Insider. “It was hard to leave behind my regular school during senior year, but I felt like soccer needed to be my number one priority, so this was going to be an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
“I’ve become more of a man this year and an overall better person and soccer player. I got a chance to experience the real world [through this program], and I’ve never taken soccer more seriously than I have this year.”
Zubak was among 11 seniors who graduated from the program on Thursday in a ceremony at StubHub Center. The ceremony also included the promotion of the other 38 students in lower grades.
“This inaugural graduation will serve as a historic mark for the LA Galaxy Academy,” said Pete Vagenas, Vice President of Soccer Operations. “This project has long been a vision of the organization and to see it come to fruition is a big achievement for the LA Galaxy. These 11 seniors are a testament to the success and quality of the program.”
According to LA Galaxy Academy Academic Program Manager Stefanie Baduria, that emotional, physical and professional growth can be seen through an individual like Zubak.
“Ethan was already so accomplished, but there is a certain level of professionalism that he reached at the end of the year,” Baduria said. “He started to help us coordinate our outreach events with the LA Galaxy Foundation. [Ethan’s] involvement was just one case of the extra involvement that we added to the program to ensure that it wasn’t just school and soccer.
“The program is also about character development which is a trait the Galaxy stress. We’re not just helping our students become good student-athletes or good soccer players, but good people as well.”
Although his high school education is over, Zubak has no plans to halt his education just because he’s a professional athlete. The 18-year-old, who was admitted to Harvard, intends to enroll at the University of California, Los Angeles as a biology major and take two to three classes per quarter as a part-time student.
“I feel like as a person. I’ve matured immensely this year, particularly, with all the opportunities that the program has offered. I feel in every aspect I’ve become a better person,” Zubak said. “I’ve grown more in this year than in all of the years in my life combined.”
Zubak will now turn his attention to earning minutes with LA Galaxy II. This season, the teenager has made 12 appearances for Los Dos, tallying one goal, while also splitting time with the Galaxy U-18s.
After a memorable year with the Galaxy Blended Learning Environment, Zubak was full of praise for the values of the program.
“This is something that you have to do if you want to play soccer at a top level and truly want to pursue your dreams of a soccer career,” Zubak said. “This year, I’ve become more of a man and more of a professional in the environment while also getting a top-notch education. As far as becoming a better soccer player, a better individual and a better person, there’s nowhere else in the country with a program like this.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
