Breakthrough...

I walked into the lunch room, a little scared and dreading how exhausting it was going to be having to follow DA around trying to get him to come to have lunch with me. But as soon as I made eye contact with him and waved him over, he stood up without any hesitation and walked over to me. “Hey, did you bring a basketball to school today?” “Yeah.” “Where is it?” “In my locker.” “Let’s go get it.” We headed down the stairs and into the gym. “Alright, so we’re gonna play a shooting game. For every shot you make, you get to ask me a question. And the same for me.” “What kind of questions?” “Any questions, as long as they are appropriate.” I was surprised how well he was responding to me. No resistance, no hesitation, no attitude. Is this the same Dimetrise?! We get into the gym and start shooting. He makes the first shot… “Okay shoot, what’s your question?” “Why are you here?” “Why am I here? With City Year?” “Yeah” “Well, I’m here because of how I feel about education. I was born in Mexico and the school that I went to had to was really poor, like dirt floors and no air conditioning. Then when I was 6, I came to the United States, I crossed illegally, and left my hometown really quickly, I didn’t have time to say bye to my family and friends and I didn’t get to see my family for a year because we started our paperwork to become a citizen. Having the opportunity to get my education here in the states and going to a college like Notre Dame, I was able to really appreciate education and how important it is. But I know that not everyone feels the same way, they struggle to see the importance. So that’s why I’m here. To help people see the importance and to try to help.” I noticed that he was really listening. He stopped dribbling the ball so that he could hear what I was saying, and for the first time, I was able to talk to him and know that he was taking it in. He didn’t say anything but just looked and me and gave me a nod then passed me the ball to shoot. We kept going back and forth shooting and asking questions.

“Why did you come with me so easily today?” “McKenzie told me I had to come.” To “So what do you think of me now?” smiling he responds with “..it’s….decent.” …

“Why do you give me such a hard time when I try to meet with you?” “’Cause I like being with my friends at lunch” As he was saying I think he realized that that excuse wasn’t good enough, I just gave him a nod to show him that I understood, but we also both knew that it was only once a week and he would be able to be with his friends the rest of the week.

“What do you want to do after high school?” “I want to go to college and play baseball.” “Yeah?! Where at?” “I’m looking at Oregon, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.” “I have a friend that played baseball at Notre Dame. Why baseball out of all the sports you play?” “I’ve just been playing baseball the longest and I can play anything in it.”

“Have you ever made a half court shot?” “Yeah.” And of course he had to show off and made 3 half court shots!

 “Is your family in Chicago?” “No, my mom’s side is still in Mexico, and my dad’s side is in California.”

“What are you going to do this weekend since you have 4 days?” “I’m gonna play with my nephew.” “how old is he?” “10.”

“What sports did you play in high school?” “I played soccer, softball, basketball, and I ran cross country and track.” “I play football, baseball, basketball, and track.” “We have a lot in common, huh?” “Yeah.”

Finally, a conversation when we were able to talk and listen to each other! As we walked out of the gym to go back upstairs, … “Thank you, DA, I really appreciate it.” “You're welcome.” "See you in class." "See you Ms. Serrano."