Central Valley High School: Kevin Ng finds success on the pitch and in the classroom

When Kevin Ng first walked into Central Valley High School three years ago, he almost cried.

Finally, life had given him a fighting chance.

That summer of 2022, Ng and his brother had left their native Venezuela, where millions endure poverty and a lack of food, water, sanitation and hygiene.

They also left behind their mother, who had managed to obtain visas that would allow them to join their grandmother in Spokane.

Now a senior, Ng is not only a solid student but a rising star in the local soccer scene. Considered a pro prospect, he trains with the Spokane Velocity club.

“I think that with everything that life has thrown at Kevin, he has worked hard to persevere,” said his counselor, Michelle Rogers.

“Every different challenge, he has taken it with grace and exceeded every expectation,” Rogers added. “And he will walk away with a lot of knowledge and friends.”

Given the chance to leave his native country, Ng said he “had to run away from a place that was very dangerous.”

Venezuela, a nation rich in oil, has suffered catastrophically through corruption and economic mismanagement. According to one survey, more than three-quarters of its people suffer from extreme poverty.

The education system is in ruins. Growing up, Ng recalls a rundown, one-room schoolhouse that housed children from almost every grade level.

Small wonder, then, that Ng knew only a few words of English when he arrived in Spokane in the summer of 2022.

“It was really hard at first,” Ng said of his first year at CV.

But he persevered.

“But my counselor and all my teachers helped me, too,” said Ng, whose favorite classes are science and weightlifting.

“The amount of growth I have seen from Kevin is astonishing,” Rogers said. “When I first met him, he struggled to communicate, and now there’s no translation needed.”

Nothing was lost in translation on the soccer pitch, where Ng has excelled since he arrived at CV. A two-time All-Greater Spokane League selection at midfielder his first two years, Ng is a lock to make it three in a row.

“I like playing midfield because I have more of the ball and the chances to score and go to goal and create,” Ng said.

Ng is doubly busy this spring. In addition to high school action, he is training with the pros at Velocity.

Ng hopes to play professionally at some point, but stressed that “right now, it’s just training with them to get better.”

If soccer doesn’t work out, Ng hopes to pursue a career in real estate or marketing.

Between soccer and school and a new life, one thing was missing: his mom. She had given up so much for her sons, and Ng talked about all the time.

Finally, this year, she obtained a precious visa and a job in Spokane and joined the rest of her family in Spokane.

For Rogers, the sight of Ng and his mother entering the counseling room at CV was awe-inspiring.

“It was pretty much the sweetest reunion I’ve ever seen,” Rogers said.