Working through hard times

Cano, 18, grew up in South San Francisco with the dream of attending the University of California at Los Angeles or the University of California at Berkeley straight out of high school. The Junipero Serra High School senior had to take a bit of a detour, however, after family troubles altered the route. Through it all, he found solace in running.

Cano started high school as a straight-A student. He ran the 400, 200 and both relays for the track team and was overall happy with his life.

Things went a bit downhill his junior year. Cano’s mother lost her job and alcohol became a problem. His mom left home for a few months to get help. When Cano’s father had to work a bit extra to recoup the losses, Cano felt the pinch.

He helped at home watching his then 2-year-old sister Arianna.

"My grades were slipping and some teachers were starting to notice. But they had to pry it out of me,” he said.

Cano wasn’t forthcoming with information to anyone. Even today, he said many of his friends don’t know what happened. Now that it’s in the past, he doesn’t really see any need to tell anyone either.

"Some people may have thought, ‘Oh, Carlos never comes to school. He doesn’t have a great work ethic,’ But I really do value school,” he said.

There was even a period of time when Cano’s father wasn’t sure he’d be able to pay the tuition at Serra. That was a scare that really shook Cano who couldn’t imagine spending his senior year anywhere else. Thankfully, the school was able to help with tuition. Now Cano is back up to par academically and is planning on spending a year at the College of San Mateo before transferring to a four-year school to study biological engineering.

Through the hard times, Cano was always successful at running.

His sophomore year, Cano was the 400 champ in the West Catholic Athletic League. This year his relay team made it to the state track meet held in Southern California. The team will race Friday, June 2 and return just a couple hours before graduation on Saturday.

The schedule might be a bit hectic, but Cano is looking forward to the chance to prove his skills.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.By Heather Murtagh

Daily Journal Staff

Carlos Cano doesn’t just enjoy running for the sport, for him it’s an escape.

Cano, 18, grew up in South San Francisco with the dream of attending the University of California at Los Angeles or the University of California at Berkeley straight out of high school. The Junipero Serra High School senior had to take a bit of a detour, however, after family troubles altered the route. Through it all, he found solace in running.

Cano started high school as a straight-A student. He ran the 400, 200 and both relays for the track team and was overall happy with his life.

Things went a bit downhill his junior year. Cano’s mother lost her job and alcohol became a problem. His mom left home for a few months to get help. When Cano’s father had to work a bit extra to recoup the losses, Cano felt the pinch.

He helped at home watching his then 2-year-old sister Arianna.

"My grades were slipping and some teachers were starting to notice. But they had to pry it out of me,” he said.

Cano wasn’t forthcoming with information to anyone. Even today, he said many of his friends don’t know what happened. Now that it’s in the past, he doesn’t really see any need to tell anyone either.

"Some people may have thought, ‘Oh, Carlos never comes to school. He doesn’t have a great work ethic,’ But I really do value school,” he said.

There was even a period of time when Cano’s father wasn’t sure he’d be able to pay the tuition at Serra. That was a scare that really shook Cano who couldn’t imagine spending his senior year anywhere else. Thankfully, the school was able to help with tuition. Now Cano is back up to par academically and is planning on spending a year at the College of San Mateo before transferring to a four-year school to study biological engineering.

Through the hard times, Cano was always successful at running.

His sophomore year, Cano was the 400 champ in the West Catholic Athletic League. This year his relay team made it to the state track meet held in Southern California. The team will race Friday, June 2 and return just a couple hours before graduation on Saturday.

The schedule might be a bit hectic, but Cano is looking forward to the chance to prove his skills.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.

information box:

Junipero Serra High School graduation

2 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco

information box:

Junipero Serra High School graduation

2 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco<