An early fervor

I've always had an obsession with sport.

Raised in a Mexican-American low-income household, I seldom had the chance to play sports. When I finally started playing soccer, I wasn't particularly good at it. But I still had an unmitigated sense of thrill from it at an early age. I always enjoyed watching sports-adjacent videos on YouTube and even to this day still can't shake off the profound intensity of every snap of Chicago Bears football. Even as a child, I found a love for sport as an avenue for telling stories, entertainment and making people laugh. That love was later expanded when I was introduced to broadcasting in high school and discovered sports talk radio, when I first listened to reporters do their hits on the air, it unearthed an obsession for knowledge acquisition.

But what happens when the fork meets the road?

As the son of Mexican immigrant parents who became business owners, I faced two clear paths: continue the family business at La Esperanza Bakery or choose a practical major in college.

I did neither.

After a semester at Augustana College, a small liberal arts school where I initially planned to major in business, I decided to transfer to the University of Illinois. Taking a circuitous route to the U of I allowed me to reevaluate and clarify my goals. When I arrived on campus, I found an abundance in opportunities to tap into what I really wanted to pursue: sports journalism. That's when I made the decision to pursue journalism and commit fully to chasing a dream.

It culminates in a dream that involves a steep climb, but I'm ready.

When I first began listening to sports talk radio—and particularly to reporters on the air—I had no idea I would pursue it as a career. All I knew was that I loved it and was enamored by the concept of knowledge acquisition.

Since committing to sports journalism, I’ve faced my share of challenges. I’ve been told to have a serious backup plan by high-profile industry professionals, was initially rejected from the University of Illinois, and, of course, have received countless internship rejection letters. But despite these setbacks, I keep getting back up. I continue to hone my skills, tell stories, write passionately, and practice my on-air abilities in the hope of entertaining audiences and making them smarter.

The further I climb in this industry, the more I recognize parallels between my parents’ professional journey and my own. The three of us have navigated foreign and sometimes unwelcoming worlds under difficult circumstances: my family learning English and building a business from scratch, and me as a first-generation college student pursuing a dream in a field where few people who look like me.

Being on the front lines—talking to players and coaches, creating content, and chronicling the stories of those involved—has been deeply rewarding. I do this mindful of journalism’s power to exact a positive chanfe through its power of scrutiny and attention.  My goal is to make people smarter, tell people’s stories, hold organizations accountable, and do it while entertaining audiences. Ultimately, I aim to cover a professional team as a beat writer or reporter, particularly in American football, soccer, basketball or baseball.