Gonzales athlete receives Division I scholarship to San Jose State

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Gonzales High School grad receives a Division I scholarship to San Jose State.

From the AG field to track, Pablo Villaseñor comes from Gonzales, a close-knit community of farmworkers. During his time in high school, he would work the fields during the summer and practice his craft at the football fields, a reality for most students at Gonzales.

Pablo Villaseñor is one of the first Gonzales residents to receive a Division I scholarship in a long time. The last time this occurred was in 1997.

"There's not much exposure right because it's such a small community so a lot of these kids have to work in the fields during the summertime. Pablo was one of them. He was working the fields for a summer job after you get done working, he would come to workouts all muddy, in his boots, in his field working outfit, and still workout," says Art Berlanga, Gonzales High School coach.

For most athletes in high school, the dream is to be chosen by a recruiter to go straight into a Division I school. Unfortunately, he wasn't chosen but was determined to achieve his goals despite the pandemic putting a stop to everything.

 "The whole world pretty much shut down and I didn't let that from stopping me from being successful and being the best version of myself. Throughout the pandemic, I had three jobs, also a full-time student. I was still getting my throws in, I was still doing what I had to do to become the best version of myself," says Villaseñor.

For those with dreams of playing in a Division I school, Villaseñor says to never give up.

"If you have a dream and you really want it, regardless of the circumstances, go out and get it. There's nothing stopping you, don't think it's over after high school. It's not over if you really want it, you're going to go after it and you're going to go get it," says Villaseñor.

Villaseñor is going to graduate from Hartnell College this year and start practice at San Jose State during the summer.