Senior Stories: Daniel, Accomplishing the Impossible

Daniel at his graduation from Vladovic Harbor Teacher Prep. He will attend Pitzer College!

Daniel is an SRLA Scholarship Recipient! Daniel has participated in SRLA for 4 years, and he has completed 4 marathons. He is a graduate from Vladovic Harbor Teacher Prep. Daniel worked hard to earn a spot on the team after overcoming lung problems during his childhood. SRLA gave him the tools to set goals and achieve incredible tasks. He will be attending Pitzer College as an engineering student!

I have always lived up to the reputation of being the most “academically focused” child in my family. What people don't understand is why I started making school a major priority and excelling in it. I had the reputation of my brother who was unable to even culminate from middle school. He was told he would never graduate high school and would never become anything by his own teacher. I knew this couldn’t be me, I knew I had to make my parents proud of what I could accomplish. I started becoming involved in middle school, doing extra circulars, as well as maintaining good grades. It surprised them when I told them about my intentions of joining SRLA. What middle school kid talks about running the Los Angeles Marathon? My parents, nor I, could even fathom running 26.2 miles at the time. At first, they were a little concerned; being born prematurely had given me lung problems for most of my childhood, so a marathon was outlandish to even consider. After talking with my doctors and getting advice from other family members, I got the okay to begin practicing.

Daniel and his teammates after a race.

“SRLA gave me the guidance, the structure, the mentorship, and the community to not only run the marathon but to continue to accomplish insane things.”

When I first started training I was not in shape. My mile times averaged around thirteen minutes, and I would feel nauseous every time I was forced to run laps around campus. As a 5’3 unathletic student, I was told multiple times that I was too slow, not good enough for races, and overlooked by my fellow peers. I had to prove myself worthy of a qualifying spot on the team. My ambition and competitiveness drove me to devote extra time running, working on my pace, and increasing my mileage to secure a spot. It took an immense amount of hard work, commitment, and time, but I never regret the moment when I crossed that finish line. I made my school proud, I made my friends proud, but ultimately, I made my family proud.

I truly owe SRLA for the skills of motivation and time management. SRLA gave me the guidance, the structure, the mentorship, and the community to not only run the marathon but to continue to accomplish insane things. Running a marathon is insane. Running a marathon at the age of 12 not just insane but possibly delusional. I know that through the medals received, practices ran, and moments of pain, I was able to truly develop important skills that will continue to follow me with my academic career. As the first person in my family to be attending a four-year university, who ran a marathon, who ran 4 marathons, I know the impact I have on breaking boundaries. People like me don’t often get a chance to do something bigger than themselves, and I truly owe it to SRLA, who made me know that I could.

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