Dishman Hills High School: Leo Perez finds a balance in school, family, sports and work

Time management is not always a strong suit for young people, and Dishman Hills senior Leo Perez had to learn it the hard way.

Perez’s mother has struggled since her son’s freshman year with long COVID, and he has taken on many more responsibilities than most kids his age, helping her with her oxygen tanks and taking her to doctors’ appointment, among other tasks.

“She has lots of lung issues and everything always hurts for her,” he said. “It’s like she has all the symptoms of being sick without being sick.”

Has Perez had to make sacrifices to accommodate his mom’s needs? Not in his mind.

“I don’t look at it as making sacrifices, just adjustments,” he said “Whether it’s changing my work schedule or making sure that my wrestling schedule works with her appointment times.”

School has been no picnic, either. Perez has been at Dishman Hills the past two years, but before that he was in an online program in ninth grade, then at Central Valley for his sophomore year.

“Online didn’t really work for me,” he said, “and I got behind in credits at CV before I went to Dishman Hills. We started looking at alternative schools after my sophomore year,” he said. “I’ve always struggled in school, and it’s been a rough road for me. I have never liked school very much, and it’s been hard for me to be stuck in a classroom when I felt that I wasn’t spending my time well there. But my parents said that I had to be passing my classes to wrestle, so I’ve done the best I could.”

So about wrestling.

Leo did not step on a mat until his sophomore year at CV, when some of his football friends persuaded him to give it a try. He was skeptical at first, he said, but it wasn’t long before he fell in love with the sport, which required him to develop a degree of self-discipline that helped him both in school and at home. He even qualified for the state tournament during his senior season.

“Starting so late and wrestling guys who have been at it for years, that was a steep learning curve,” he said. “Wrestling hasn’t come naturally to me, but I love it now. I like that the responsibility for my success is all on me, it’s just me and my opponent. Every success that I’ve had is because of hard work.”

The Dishman Hills schedule has made it possible for Perez to work part-time as well, one of several factors that helped him to succeed there. And succeed he has. One of his instructors there, John Moir, speaks highly of Perez:

“One thing that stands out about Leo in my experience as his teacher and mentor is that he never lets a challenge get in the way of him being a gentleman. He’s always kind, calm, respectful and hardworking, no matter what. He’s remarkable in that way.”

Perez isn’t sure of his future plans, but knows that they will include wrestling, freestyle with local club programs for the next year or two and then enrollment at North Idaho College, which offers the only collegiate program in the area.

One thing for sure, though, because Perez knows from experience: “Balancing everything can be stressful, but it’s a matter of what’s important, because if you want something badly enough, you’ll make time for it.”