Heroes don’t wear capes. They don’t walk among us in strange costumes and portray superhuman capabilities. They walk among us with kind eyes, gentle smiles, and extraordinary stories to tell.
Eric Nevarez is a junior at Colorado Mesa University. Nevarez was born and raised in Los Angeles by his mother along with five of his nine siblings. Nevarez had no one to truly look up to when he was growing up.
His mother was a struggling addict and his siblings were in and out of jail more than they were in and out of their own home. Nevarez’s mother struggled to provide food and security at home, but she did the best she could with their circumstances.
She worked two jobs and constantly aimed to better herself for the good of her children. The community schools were harsh and much more equipped with gangs than educational resources.
“You are set up to fail in schools like that,” Nevarez said.
In the sixth grade, Nevarez was told that his father was alive and that he lived in Colorado. He was sent to live with his father, but only stayed for two months before returning to Los Angeles.
It was also in the sixth grade that Nevarez began getting jumped on a regular basis. One time when he was 12 years old, Nevarez was beaten so badly that he lost nearly all of his teeth. This sparked a new fear. Due to the cruelty of his environment, Nevarez failed the sixth grade. When he reached the seventh grade, Nevarez was 14 years old and was jumped into a gang.
“I wasn’t looking for trouble, it was more about protection,” Nevarez said.
Nevarez was forced to prove himself by following through with various tests. By high school, Nevarez was seen as a leader in his gang. At 16, Nevarez was in charge of seeing a deal through.
A dealer that owed him money stabbed him in the side. Nevarez’s fellow gang members, who were also supposed to be his friends and protectors, fled leaving him behind to die. A woman found Nevarez and immediately called for help. She saved his life.
After seeing her son so close to death, Nevarez’s mother was desperate to make drastic changes. Nevarez and his mother made a pact. If he would move to his dad’s house in Colorado, she would get clean and turn her own life around.
Without his father’s knowledge, Nevarez made his way to Colorado, where his dad was hesitant to allow Nevarez to stay with him, his wife, and their children.
“I wasn’t family there,” Nevarez said.
After a year, Nevarez’s stepmother kicked him out of their home. For three months, Nevarez slept in his high school’s training room on a small pad and a pillow. During this three month period, Nevarez was playing basketball on his high school team.
His basketball coach, Justin Brandt, noticed that something was not right. One night, Brandt offered Nevarez a warm meal at his home with him and his wife, Melinda Brandt. Soon the Brandts offered Nevarez to stay for good. Nevarez became a part of a real family.
“Justin taught me to love everybody,” Nevarez said, “He treated me like a brother, but what he taught me was like a dad,” Nevarez said.
Today, Nevarez is attending CMU on a full ride scholarship. The Guardian Scholarship was provided to him by the Youth Foundation. Nevarez is a full time student and works to support himself. Nevarez aspires to be a high school teacher. He wants to help teenagers that lack parental support.
“I don’t want to be rich, I want to be the guy with a picket fence and a little white dog,” Nevarez said.

spfost@mavs.coloradomesa.edu