Senior Pedro Morataya only started running in July and has already made his way to the Junior Varsity cross country team at Birmingham

Community Charter High School.

Although it’s his first year, Morataya has made a giant impact on his teammates, inspiring them to push harder. His determination and dedication for self-improvement flows out of him and spills onto his teammates.

“He pushes himself every race and practice, and as a teammate he motivates us to do better,” said teammate junior Sareen Tashjian.“He always has a positive attitude.”

Moratya is the only runner from Daniel Pearl Magnet High School and he admits that, at times, he feels alone on the team. Since the last of the cross country members from DPMHS left, Morataya took it upon himself to represent the school on the team.

“It feels pretty good, but at the same time I just feel so alone because I’m the only one in cross country from Daniel Pearl,” Morataya said.

His loneliness, however, does not detract from his goals for college or his current schoolwork. He’s maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout the school year and isn’t showing signs of lowering.

“Practice has never gotten in the way of my schoolwork. I’m a good student,” Morataya said. “I’ll probably even run in college.”

In the past few months, running has served as a great stress reliever for Morataya, aiding him in balancing his schoolwork and his practice.

“It’s always such an adventure. We run about two to five miles everyday in practice,” Morataya said. “Running makes me feel free.