Senior Standouts: Kaulin Hooper

Kaulin Hooper was selected as one of the captains of the Beachwood High School soccer team as a junior. While it is not uncommon to have a junior team captain, the honor is usually bestowed upon the team’s seniors.

“It was more of an opportunity than an achievement for me,” Hooper said. “I was able to show everybody that I could lead.”

Show them he did.

That year the Bison won the Chagrin Valley Conference championship. It certainly wasn’t easy; there were plenty of tough tests for the young Bison squad. With two games left in the season the Bison found themselves in must-win situation against Independence on a rainy day.

“That game defined our season. It brought everything together and everyone played hard.” Hooper said.

While Hooper scored Beachwood’s only two goals, he’ll be the first to say it was his team’s tenacious defense that secured the 2-1 victory. Their defense was perfected through countless hours of practice that molded everyone into hard workers.

“There were 20 guys on the team and they were all my best friends,” Hooper said. “Everyone pushed each other in a positive way.”

The same team dynamic has helped Hooper off the field. — with a president and vice president. The students collaborated together to sell things, like designing and selling T-shirts at a West Geauga/Chagrin Falls football game, and do marketing projects for other companies, like selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

“I liked all of my subjects at Beachwood,” Hooper said. “This class allowed me to incorporate everything I learned in my other classes. It’s why business is something I’m pretty serious about.”

Hooper just finished his senior project through Vincent Lighting Systems, where he shadowed a marketing director and had to analyze their whole company, then implement a marketing plan for the business. He is going to continue both his passion for business and his soccer career at the University of Findlay this fall.

“When I tried out the whole team reminded me of Beachwood,” Hooper said. “I liked the business program I wanted to go into. Everyone was just helpful there.”