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BY MARTIN RASCON
n 2013, Ricardo Medina was walking by Belvedere Park from East Los Angeles College, where he was studying Kine- siology. While passing by the park, he noticed kids playing baseball. “I walked over to watch a coach was practicing with his team. I was interested in what I was saw and wanted to be a part of it, so I went to the park office, met the su- pervisor, and asked how I could become a volunteer coach.” This chance encounter would be the start of Ricardo’s career pathway through Parks and Recreation as a volunteer. Recently, Ricardo remarked, “Volunteering at the park helped me communicate better with people and not be so shy.” Building personal skillsets through volunteering contributed to Ricardo’s professional identity.
For a full year, Ricardo continued volunteering for the department and supporting children’s participation in sports such as basketball and T-ball. His volunteerism extended to park spe- cial events to referring
games.It is not always typical to see a young college student so en- thusiastically pursue volunteerism while balanc- ing studying and other interests, but Ricardo’s interest aligned with his personal values and studies. Most of all, he knew he was making a difference for the children and families in his
community.The park supervisor was extremely impressed with Ricardo’s work ethics. Ricar- do has become an asset to the park, which opened the door to his next opportunity has a Recreation Leader. Ricardo continues to be an avid contributing to sports programs and special events at Obregon Park in East LA.East Agency Deputy Director, Mercy Santoro re-
cently commented, “Ricardo has a welcoming presence and is focused on building positive relationships with youth and the Obregon Park community. It is evident he is passionate about his work and recognizes how his contributions help the community thrive. In 2018, Ricardo was recognized as Recreation Leader of the Month for his exemplar work in serving as a role model and reflecting a high caliber of com- mitment in the service of others.”Ricardo is attending East Los Angeles College in pursuit of a degree in Kinesiology and is in the process of applying to a four-year college. His interest in Kinesiology stems from playing and watching sports. “I’ve played sports all of my life and I also like to watch sports.
One day I was watching a college football game and an athlete was injured. The injured player was attended to by the athletic trainer, and the way the athletic trainer worked on the player was very interesting to me. From that day, I wanted to do what that athletic trainer was doing.”There have been some roadblocks on Ricardo’s journey to attaining his degree; “I’m part of DACA, which means I can be in the U.S. legally, but I’m still considered a foreigner, so I have to pay full tuition prices for school. It’s taking me longer to get my degree because I have to work more to pay for school and still have enough money for my regular living ex- penses. I’m taking less units because that’s all I can afford. But this setback won’t stop me from achieving my dreams; it only gives me extra motivation to keep pushing forward. Never give up,” is a mantra that inspires Ricardo to persevere.With such a passion for life, learning and giving us his time, it seemed
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