There is this kid from a mixed community. He is raised by two wonderful, hard-working parents and has a sister with whom, through the ups and downs, he has developed a bond that no one could break.

At the time when he was young, the school system on his side of town wasn't the greatest, having a reputation of bad education and sinful influences every day. Instead, his parents decided to place him in a school system that was well-known, educationally, athletically, and religiously. It was a good fit for him for a very long time, but those years in school were tough for him. To be honest, not just in school but in life, it was a struggle. Even though he was a kid that did many sports (not to mention he was a very large kid), was a friendly person to everyone even if he didn't know you and was just meeting you for the first time, he felt that no matter how hard he worked, it was like people looked over him.

When he hit high school, part of his hard work paid off when he was put on the varsity basketball team as a freshman. It was a great confidence booster for a kid that motivated him for the people he cared about, even for his Abuelo and Mima, who passed when he was young. He started to take his sport and schoolwork seriously when he started his sophomore year. For example, he would stay up late at night making sure all his homework was done and then go for extra help when he was having trouble in a class. For basketball, he would spend extra time in the gym getting shots in or trying to get stronger in the weight room. Now, unfortunately, people face many obstacles; during the second half of his sophomore season, he had a slip in his production which got him off the starting lineup. Also, in school, he had gotten in some trouble.

And then at the end of his sophomore year, he had to transfer over to his town's public high school. He was completely devastated; he cried to his mother in the car, who tried to comfort him. That same night, when he met up with his father to talk about the situation, one phrase that he told him to think about for when he started public school is "it may be a new school, new team, but the goal is still the same, which is to do well academically, athletically, spiritually, and as a person." For the next two years at this school, he took his seriousness for basketball and school to an even higher level. He would wake up early in the morning for workouts and tutoring, then would do the same thing over and over again. The driven, determined, kind-hearted, and great character kid was able to make a name for himself and survive those two years. In the end, he graduated and is now at a school where he is trying to make another positive name for himself.

This is just a little summary about the kid. He has been through a lot of ups and downs. Sadly, that is how life is, and it's something that he will continue to face for a very long time. However, I think he will be able to overcome those downs, because, throughout his life, he has surrounded himself with positive people that want to see him succeed and become the man that God put him on this earth to be.

Who is this kid, you ask? Well, the one that asks the question is mostly the one that knows the answer because of his life.