Football and Stargazing: Spotlight on One of Oakland Technical High School’s Star Athletes and Brightest Students

Name: Alem Amores

School: Oakland Technical High School

Age: 16

Background: Born in Manila, Philippines. Moved to the United States at eight-years-old. Lives in Oakland.

Sports: Plays center for offense and defensive tackle for the Oakland Tech Bulldogs football team. After the football season is over, track and field.

How did you get interested in football? It started off as a hobby. Then I started taking it seriously. Right now, I’m trying to use it to get an athletic scholarship and go to college.

What colleges are you considering right now? I’ve been talking to a couple of coaches and getting a lot of mail from colleges (recruitment letters).

Which schools are you considering playing football for? University of Arizona, University of Southern California, University of California Berkeley, Washington University and Stanford University.

With all the football practice, how do you keep your grades up? I just try to focus in school and try to stay with the right friends. I have no real free time.

What’s your favorite school subject? History. We’re on U.S. government right now. We’re just going deeply into the constitution.

What do you plan to major in in college? Astronomy. I'm pretty sure Washington University is the only Pac-12 school that has astronomy as a major.

Career goals: I really want to work for NASA, because ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been interested in outer space and all that intergalactic stuff.

What are you most excited about for college? I just want to experience having more freedom, meeting more people and being able to do what adults do. And to try to have fun in life and focus on school at the same time.

Favorite things to do besides football and school: Play video games (especially Fallout and Borderland), be with my friends and family, hang out and watch movies.