Felipe Velandia, a 4 star long snapper, ranked 25th in the nation in the class of 2025, and a great student at Charter who still has many goals in mind. Velandia committed to Saint Thomas University (STU), a school where Velandia believes he can grow and accomplish multiple things on and off the field.
This all didn’t happen by accident though. Velandia worked through being a student-athlete to near perfection, getting great grades and obviously nice performances on the football field.
Charter has been a great school that helped improve him academically, but it also has also been a place for him to grow as a person.
“Through making new friendships and learning valuable lessons from my teachers and coaches, I’ve become the student-athlete I am today.” Velandia says.
Balancing being a performer in the classrooms, while also making sure he showed up to every meeting, team event, and getting to the games shows the level of resilience Velandia holds.
With many teachers in this school who only want the best for their students, there was a select few that will hold a special place in Velandias’ heart.
“Ms. Pardo, Ms. Alongi, and Ms. Carbone have each played a meaningful role in shaping who I am.”
When the topic of the future came up, Velandia had a hard time choosing where to go. Schools like UM, FIU, FSU were all on the table. However, there was a problem.
After the fall season, the implementation of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) roster can significantly impact opportunities for high school specialists, as many programs shifted their focus toward experienced transfers.
After careful consideration, the final decision was set on STU, with hopes to build a strong academic career.
To further convince himself that STU was the best fit for his abilities, he met some people who walked a similar path.
“Kinnick Manley and Trent Sims have been instrumental in guiding me through the process, especially in my journey as a long snapper.”
In his journey as a long snapper, it was very tough to find success early. Only in his freshman year is when he started to finally play football.
“There were many trials and errors that came throughout these years.” Velandia says. “I started late because another long snapper had more experience over me.”
With the adversity that Felipe was facing, the only thing he could do was persevere and push forward.
Moving forward is exactly what Velandia did and it worked to near perfection. Since freshman year, he saw himself improve and the process of becoming a better person and player throughout the years.
At Saint Thomas University, Felipe Velandia will study Finance and International Business. With a strong belief that this is the university that will make him great and improve on and off the field. They provide a lot for their student-athletes.
Let’s not forget who they are adding though. A player who is reliable, plays his role to near perfection, and someone with unwavering confidence.
The person they are getting is resilient, intelligent, kind hearted, and friendly. Velandia is a prime example of a person that should be in every university and part of a football program.
