Growing up in a soccer family in Clovis, CA, Nick Burriel played for the U.S. Olympic Development team before getting a scholarship to play at the University of San Francisco in 2007. "Some coaches think they have a crystal ball and they say you're not good enough," said his father Dominic, a former player himself. "He obviously got some of that but kept pushing, worked hard and made his dream come true (23ABC News, Bakersfield)."
In November of 2013, he was assaulted and spent two weeks in a coma and a year at the Centre for Neuro Skills and the Community Regional Medical Center in Bakersfield, CA. Intensive rehabilitation eventually helped his vision, his movement and his speech return. Now he’s running marathons, hiking up mountains and playing soccer. He has since become an speaker and advocate for trauma survivors.Â
