A rising junior from Ocean View High School was offered a spot on the prestigious FC Cologne International Talent Squad this fall in Germany, but he needs help getting there.
16-year-old Alex Linza attended a soccer showcase at El Camino College in March, hoping to gain professional feedback for his skills on the field. Instead, the coach and recruiter offered the student-athlete an opportunity to join 23 other American soccer players in training alongside the professional team overseas.
Speaking with the Daily Pilot’s reporter Matt Szabo, Alex expressed how surprised he was to learn about the news.
The opportunity consists of a six-month training program and an estimated cost of about $30,000. His parents started a GoFundMe to raise money and are selling a car to help pay for the trip. Alex sold a few of his prized baseballs and Pokémon cards. He also plans on getting a summer job.
“He’s been playing since he was 4, and this is what he’s wanted his whole youth, this is what he’s been aspiring to,” said Corinne Linza, Alex’s mother. “Having it be such a surprise, we just weren’t set up or ready. I just want to make sure it happens for him. It would kill me if it didn’t, this could be it, you know?”
On campus, Alex played on the boys’ tennis team as a freshman and has dominated as a runner for the track team. He set the Seahawks sophomore record in the 800 meters by crossing in one minute, 59.02 seconds.
“Alex practices and races with a purpose — to reach places that the team has never reached before it,” Ocean View cross-country and track coach Daniel Hurtado said. “Because of it, his desire matches his efforts on race day. You cannot attend an Ocean View track meet and not feel excited when Alex takes the track.”
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Dr. Sonia R. Llamas, an accomplished educational leader known for spearheading effective student interventions and fostering positive school environments, has been selected as OCDE’s new associate superintendent of Educational Services.
- A wooden framework of a house, built by four Marina High School students under the supervision of their teacher, sits in the middle of campus as a potential solution for a more energy-efficient future.
- Approved by all seven Capistrano Unified school board trustees, Dr. Christopher Brown will join the district as superintendent. His four-year contract begins on July 1.
- More than 700 graduating seniors participated in the annual Graduation Celebration Parade in Rossmoor. The tradition began in 2020 as a way for the community to celebrate students’ accomplishments while maintaining safety precautions.
- The UCLA Center for the Transportation of Schools released eight research reports analyzing the California Multi-Tiered System of Support program, which is a state program aimed at meeting the academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs of students.
- Alexa Dharmapalan, who graduated from Los Alamitos High School this week, passed the torch of being the district’s student board representative to rising senior Joelle Kaiser.
- Capistrano Cellars, a food pantry offered through a partnership between OCDE’s Alternative Education program and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, serves as a lifeline for students and their families.
- Nikka Shahrokni and a group of her Arnold O. Beckman High classmates were inspired to create a nonprofit to teach STEAM-driven activities to youth experiencing homeless while they’re living at the Orange County Rescue Mission.
- Organizers and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community called on the Orange County Board of Education at a meeting on June 7 to reverse its support for a failed assembly bill that would have required parental notification if a child was identifying as transgender, the Orange County Register reported.
- Huntington Beach Police investigators are working to determine the source of some fliers, which the city’s mayor described as displaying hateful rhetoric, after they were found in a neighborhood near Edison High School.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.