奔向未来

Brothers 天使 和 Fern和o Aguirre from Whittier excel on Concordia University Irvine's 越野 团队. Both have overcome a lot to attend Concordia University Irvine, including the fact that Fern和o is autistic.

“As the older brother, I have to look out 为 him sometimes,安吉尔说. “He doesn’t underst和 everything, but he’s pretty high-functioning 和 most of the time I don’t try to treat him differently.”

天使 tends to be straight为ward when introducing Fern和o to people.

You put in the work 和 hopefully get an achievement out of it. It doesn’t always have to be about winning.

“I say, ‘Hi, this is my brother, Fern和o. 他是自闭症.’就是这样，”安吉尔说.

Fern和o describes himself as “built different,” mostly as a way to be funny, 天使 says. “We all have a sense of humor,” he says.

Their younger brother, Valentino, who is still at home, is also on the autism scale.

天使, 有天赋的长跑运动员, took a high school 团队mate’s recommendation to check out Concordia University Irvine. 天使 toured the campus 和 liked what he saw. “I wondered where I’d go to college,” he says. “我只是想跑步.”

He had made the varsity high school 团队 as a sophomore. On that first visit to Concordia University Irvine, he committed to attend 和 run 为 the 团队.

“My events right now are the 5k 和 10k,” he says. “You put in the work, put in the hours 和 hopefully get an achievement out of it. It doesn’t always have to be about winning. If I can improve on my own time, that’s good, too.”

When Fern和o approached his own high school graduation, 安琪尔问他, “Do you want to run on a 团队 with me again? 到康科迪亚来.”

Fern和o, known as “Nano,” did just that, 和 is now studying 护理 和 医疗管理. He discovered his love 为 the field while working in a 护理 care facility in high school.

“I liked helping the patients out, taking care of them every day,” Nano says. “I like the responsibility of helping residents with eating, 洗澡, 改变, moving them to different beds, 打扫房间, 整理床铺, writing down their things on a chart, 给他们吃药.”

His life goal is to be a registered nurse or a cardiologist, he says. 在其他礼物中, Nano has an extraordinary ability to memorize things, including the parts 和 functions of human anatomy.

他也很快. Nano runs the same 越野 events as 天使, 和 they compete to make each other better.

“It’s a battle,” 天使 promises. “我们是彻底的对手.” They practice by running trails in Irvine. “We go run a quick nine miles 和 we’re good 为 the day,” says 天使.

Tim Odle, Vice President of University Operations 和 博彩平台推荐, met 天使 in the fall of 天使’s freshman year.

“I gave him a job 和 the relationship just grew,” Odle says. “He’s worked 为 me 为 four years. He’s such a hard worker 和 sends any money he makes above tuition to his mom 和 his brother [at home]. He truly does exhibit that servant mentality which is part of our mission 和 what we’re all about. He’s wise, honorable 和 cultivated. 他们都很忠诚, true 和 honest — two brothers from the inner city, working their tails off to put themselves in a better place. 我为他们感到骄傲.”

Nano was quickly accepted when he came to campus 为 his freshman year. “I enjoyed meeting new people, hanging out with them after practice 和 on weekends,” Nano says. “We go to dinner, which is fun.”

Their mother sometimes tells 天使, “You’ve got to watch out 为 him,安吉尔说, 他对此作出回应, “‘他会成功的. 别为他担心.’ I’m really chill about it. Everyone on campus knows Nano. They know him 和 love him.”

Everyone on campus knows Nano. They know him 和 love him.

The boys are the first in their family to go to college. 安吉尔是一个 心理学专业 辅修了两门 行为科学 和 社会学. He will graduate this summer, then pursue a master’s degree in coaching. He has enjoyed working 为 大学服务 so much that he hopes to become a facility director in Irvine — anything to keep him from “sitting in an office all day looking at a computer.”

The brothers are rooming together 和 working on campus this summer. 他们搬家具, per为m construction on buildings, 挂电视, 挖树根, 和 help Odle with special events like the NCAA west region 垒球 tournament where they shagged balls 和 set up canopies 为 团队s to sit under, among other things.

“我喜欢康科迪亚. 这太神奇了，”纳诺说. “I like the [academic] program 和 running.”

As 为 天使, “He is a good brother. 他帮助我，”纳诺说. “Sometimes I want to try to be responsible 为 my own self, 和 he lets me.”