Our School

Many could see that Dren Dobruna ’23 was destined for greatness. He was kicking around a soccer ball at age two. He was playing against twelve and thirteen year olds when he was eight. He possessed a gift of natural talent and a passionate drive. It didn’t take long for him to be catapulted into the professional soccer world.

Dren joined the Hartford Athletic in September 2022 as the team’s left midfielder and youngest player. Prior to Hartford Athletic, Dren appeared in three matches with NYCFC’s MLS Next side in 2022. He was also invited to preseason with the NYCFC first team in back to back seasons. In addition to his time with the NYCFC U15 and U17 squad, the defender appeared in two international friendlies with the Albanian National Team.

“I played with NYCFC, another professional team, for six years in New York. I knew one of the coaches on the Hartford team. My parents and I spoke with him, and we decided that joining Hartford Athletic was the right way to go.”

Dren spent a week and a half being put through his places during trials. In the end, he signed an eighteen month Academy contract to play. Games are played on the weekend evenings.

A typical day in Dren’s life begins at 7:30am when he arrives for school at Holy Cross High School. He stays for his first block class; then goes to practice for the team. He returns to school for his last block class of the day. He will do his homework when he gets home from class. That is usually followed by an evening practice for the younger players on the team.

Dren is responsible for all work that he misses in class. “We use Canvas,” he said. “Everything is online, so that makes things easier. I will get class notes from my friends. I have until 11:59pm each night to finish each assignment.”

When he is not being a typical high school student, Dren is living out his dream on the field. He says that the team treats him like one of the guys. Off the field, age means nothing. On the field, everyone works for each other.

“I have taken away so much from this experience,” he said. “Mostly, I have learned that you really need to work and put 100% effort behind it. Skill only gets you so far. Nothing can stop you if you work hard and have confidence.”