“Hard work pays off.” These are the words 18-year-old Aariana Amezcua lives life by.

Amezcua hails from Chino, California and graduated from Don Lugo High School. She took home first place in the girl’s Division III Varsity Yellow Race at the Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational in 2022 before she even took a class at Mt. SAC.

She now runs cross-country and track and field for SAC.

The middle child of siblings Aaron (25), Jesus (24) or affectionately known as “Chewy” and Aidan (15), Amezcua has formed a close-knit bond with her brothers.

Instilled in them by parents is the timeless wisdom – what you put in is what you get out, emphasizing the correlation between effort and outcome. This guiding principle underscores the importance of dedication and focus in achieving positive results.

When Amezcua was younger, she imagined herself growing up and becoming a veterinarian.

The dream job was inspired by the amount of animals she was surrounded by. “Whatever you could name, I had,” Amezcua said. “Chickens, dogs, cats, I always had a bunny growing up. I had birds, goats – you name it. A pig, I had it.”

A special kind of love nestled amongst the playful paws and gentle nuzzles of furry companions blossoms from a nurturing and warm person raised alongside animals. It’s a love that transcends languages: spoken soft purrs, playful pecks, wagging tails and tender gazes. Amezcua’s unconditional affection and unwavering loyalty to winged or four-legged companions shows the sort of empathy, compassion, responsibility and initiative she has.

The sort of traits found in any leader, especially in athletics.

Instead of pursuing a career with animals, she has decided to major in child development.

With the same patience and gentle nature that she showered upon her beloved animals, Amezcua now guides nonverbal children in learning the delicate dance of sign language, nurturing connections that transcend words.

Just as she once listened to the silent whispers of their animal friends, she now understands the unspoken language of these children, weaving a tapestry of communication and understanding with every gentle gesture.

Amezcua didn’t always consider herself an athletic person. The only other sport she did as a kid was gymnastics but only participated in it for a year because she felt like it wasn’t really her thing. She joined a running club when she was nine.

“Ever since then, I have just been stuck with running,” Amezcua said.

When it comes to role models, Amezcua looks up to her oldest brother, Aaron. When she gets frustrated and feels like certain problems have no answers, her older brother reminds her that every situation has a solution. His calmness reminds her to have patience and everything will figure itself out.

Her original plan for college was to leave the state, but as the time came closer, she felt that she wasn’t ready to leave home yet. After taking a tour of Mt. SAC, she fell in love with the facilities and the atmosphere.

“I’d say the environment really sold me,” Amezcua added.

In high school, Amezcua struggled with balancing her education and being an athlete at the same time. When she transitioned to college, managing both worlds has become a bit more of a struggle.

One of the biggest differences from high school cross-country to college cross-country has been the consistent and intense training. “I was not doing as much mileage as I am now,” Amezcua said.

Although she is working harder as an athlete now, she still appreciates the encouragement and support from her track coach, Daniel Ozan.

“He’s not a coach that puts pressure on us,” Amezcua said. “He just coaches us, gives us words of wisdom and from there it’s no pressure. It’s just doing your best and whatever happens, happens.”

The best advice she’s received from him was “Don’t do dumb things.” Coach Ozan gave her blunt advice and she has stayed true to it ever since.

Some of her favorite memories from cross-country are the bus rides with her teammates. There is lots of talking and even napping in the bus.

“I’d say quality time together is nice,” Amezcua said.

Amezcua said that she wants to work on coming out of her comfort zone more. A current goal of hers is to become more social and extroverted. She is also aiming to involve herself in more activities outside of school and athletics.

After leading the SAC cross country team to a CCCAA three-peat and finishing 10th individually at the Fresno with a sub-19-minute run, Amezcua has her eyes set on closing out her SAC running career on top once again.

“As for the rest of my track season, I want to finish off strong and ‘go for broke’ as Coach Gio would say,” Amezcua said. “After Mt. SAC, I plan on continuing my running career along with my education in a four-year university, but I am not too sure where yet,” Amezcua added.

As her SAC stint comes to a close, the winding trail filled with twists and turns continues. Each step forward brings a new challenge – an obstacle to overcome and conquer. As the final stretch comes for Aariana Amezcua, she remembers to carry the grit, resilience, determination and joy that running has brought her.

Let us continue to navigate life’s trails with the same vigor and spirit that Aariana has knowing that every step forward brings us closer to our destination wherever that may be.