Saratoga's Jesse Alejandro (center) was the winner of a $500 award through the REACH Youth Scholarship program. Alejandro was presented his award by honorary Co-chairs Brandi Chastain (left) and Ronnie Lott.
Alejandro wins REACH scholarship
Saratoga athlete has overcome adversity
By Dick Sparrer
Jesse Alejandro has had his share of problems.
But that's certainly not evident when looking over his Saratoga High School résumé.
Alejandro has been an outstanding athlete is his four years at Saratoga, starring in football, basketball and track.
Beyond that, he has shined in the classroom, boasting a 3.93 cumulative grade point average, winning a place in the National Honor Society and earning a full-tuition scholarship to UCLA.
Not bad for a young man who was said to be disabled at birth.
But that was exactly what faced Jesse Alejandro. He was born with a congenital ear deformity that required five surgical operations before he reached age 10.
And as if his hearing problems hadn't presented enough of a challenge, he discovered as a 10-year-old that he suffered from a hip deformity and doctors predicted that he would not be able to participate in athletics.
Three weeks ago, Jesse Alejandro placed fourth in the 800-meter run at the Central Coast Section championships to qualify for the state track and field meet.
So much for predictions.
Alejandro has overcome the odds to become a sensational athlete and student at Saratoga. And it's that kind of determination that helped him earn one of top awards in the prestigious REACH Youth Scholarship this spring.
The REACH Youth Scholarship program, sponsored for the fifth year by NEC Electronics Inc. and the San Jose Sports Authority, recognizes high school seniors who have overcome adversity in their lives to excel in both academics and athletics.
REACH stands for "Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard work," and the purpose of the program is to "acknowledge how participating in sports can help a young person stay on track in school and be strong in the face of personal struggles."
The scholarship program is open to all high schools in the Santa Clara County, and this year 34 students from 20 schools were nominated. Students were to write essays describing how they had overcome adversity. Eight winners were presented scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500. Alejandro, Jenifer Cohen and Rebecca Yang were the Saratoga athletes nominated for the award.
Co-chairs Ronnie Lott, NFL Hall of Famer, and Brandi Chastain, World Cup soccer champion and professional women's soccer player, helped present the award to Alejandro.
In his essay, Alejandro first mentioned the frustrations experienced because of his hearing problems.
"Because my hearing was severely impaired as a young child, my language development was hampered," he wrote. "After the surgeries, my teachers didn't understand why I couldn't hear their instructions since the disability was not as visible after the repairs."
"It was also frustrating sometimes when I had difficulty communicating with my teammates and coaches from long distances," he added. "My directional hearing is still a problem as I can rarely tell where sound is coming from unless I see the source of the sound."
But Jesse's problems didn't end there. Later in his life it was discovered that he was also born with a rotated hip joint and short Achilles tendons.
"During a visit to my orthopedic doctor, his casual comment was 'There will surely be other things he will be able to do besides sports,'" he wrote. "Tears began to swell in my eyes. Fortunately, I chose not to believe him. Instead I chose to use hard work and desire to accomplish what he had said would be impossible."
And that hard work and desire certainly paid off.
Alejandro has been the most valuable athlete and team captain on the Saratoga track and field team, and just this year placed second in the 800 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and fourth at CCS.
He was the most inspirational player on the Saratoga varsity basketball team last winter, and played varsity football for two years for the Falcons.
"I no longer feel 'disabled' as I have learned that everyone has challenges," he wrote in his essay. "Believing you can is an important part of achievement."
And Jesse Alejandro has certainly made believers out of those who have watched him achieve.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
