Week 7 Student Athlete Spotlight: Santos Perez of Crawford High School

In the life of Santos Perez, nothing comes easy.

Start with the football field – being quarterback is no walk in the park, but then you add in having to negotiate the multitude of languages only Crawford can provide.

"I embrace it," Perez said. We’re unique…no one is like us."

Then there’s the classroom – a place that Perez made difficult by choice. A decision that has paid off to the tune of a 4.19 GPA.

"He definitely feels a great sense of responsibility," teacher Cindy Page said. "One of the teachers last year said, ‘If we could clone a student…it would be him.’"

There’s the collection of clubs Perez has belonged to over the years – Auroras the senior honor society, Mu Alpha Theta the math experts club, Robotics, Peer Helpers and CSF.

"I’ve forgotten the rest," Perez said.

But the hardest part – and equally most rewarding – comes from home, where, much like a quarterback would, leads his own team – a team of four brothers and a sister.

Even better, three of those four brothers play football with him. Isaiah, a junior, plays guard and center on the varsity team, while Atilio and Paul play on the junior varsity squad.

"He comes out an watches us," brother Paul said. "If we have bad form he’ll correct us. He steps up to leadership and takes care of his little brothers."

"When I see my chance to protect him, I do it," Isaiah added. "I go hard every day so he doesn’t get hurt and we can keep working together every day."

"His parents don’t cut him any slack because he’s playing football…and working…and is an honor student," Page said. "I don’t do it well as a teacher and a mom, so I don’t know how a student is able to handle all of those."

"I never really wanted to be the oldest," Perez said. "I really learned to cope with it, and it’s made me the person I am today. It’s made me prepared for everything that comes my way."