As a soccer player, Kaiden Shannon’s personal goals are to make goals for his team. Shannon, a junior, has been playing soccer for 12 years, not only for Mount Vernon but for club soccer at AYSO.  “The team is like my second family,’’ said Shannon. “We work together and know who works best with each other to help make the game run smoothly.”  

Shannon usually plays multiple positions depending on what is needed, including center, mid, or right-wing, “but my favorite position would have to be right-wing,” Shannon said.  Right-wing allows him to control and play most of the field alongside his teammates while making lots of shots and being able to be aggressive. Right-wing brings the player right into the middle of the field and lets them have a more one-on-one game feel. 

When Shannon isn’t on the field, he is likely to be found washing dishes for Chameleon’s, making sure every customer has a clean plate to enjoy their delicious food.  Having a job or doing extracurricular activities helps a young adult build time management skills and experience with responsibility along with social skills and new friendships “It’s important to not only do what you like but do what you love,’’ said Shannon. 

With the dedication, he gives to his team and job it’s surprising how he still has time to do his homework and spend time on himself, yet he can do it all. In his free time, Shannon enjoys playing video games, hanging out with his friends and family, and is always trying to improve his Fortnite score. 

Shannon wants to continue playing soccer as he enjoys and loves to work as a team with his friends. He really values communication. Shannon said that “communication is always key because if you have bad communication you can’t work as a team.”  One thing Shannon feels his team needs to improve is the communication which comes through lots of team bonding and the dedication by every player. Shannon has a goal to one day be a professional player and be able to better himself through time. If Shannon wasn’t able to play soccer, he would be running cross country or playing basketball. Either way, he’ll be running toward his goals.