As high schools across Los Angeles send their most scholarly students to the statewide academic decathlon competition in Santa Clara this weekend, one team is motivated by more than just the chance to win.
Eight students at Garfield High School in East LA will be competing in memory of their former math coach, Mike Pacheco, who passed away last month from cancer. He was 48 years old.
KCRW spoke to four Garfield decathletes one week ahead of the state competition. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
NAME: Gabriel Perales
GRADE: Senior 
Photo by Robin Estrin.
Robin Estrin: What’s the shirt you’re wearing?
“This is one of the bands I like – Darkthrone. It's a black metal band. I always try to wear clothes that represent me, so I wear a lot of band clothes.
My speech for this year is about metal and perseverance, and about metal celebrities that have lost a lot but have gone back – like Metallica going back after they lost their bassist. Or Tony Iommi, the guitarist of Black Sabbath is still the guitarist for Black Sabbath, even though he doesn't have some of his fingers. Or Ricky Allen, not having an entire arm and still playing for Def Leppard. I wrote a whole speech on that and how you should persevere in life, and that’s how I try to live my life.”
What’s the biggest challenge your team has had to overcome to get to this point?
“This year started out rough after finding out that our math coach, Mr. Pacheco, had cancer, so he couldn't be with us anymore. Eventually, we got back on board with Mr. Cheng, who has stepped up and become our math coach. He does a really good job.”
NAME: Brian Cheng
JOB: Garfield High School math teacher and head coach 
Photo by Robin Estrin.
What did you admire about Mr. Pacheco?
“He just had so much energy and so much passion for teaching. I remember first meeting him when I was going in for new teacher orientation, and I remember his smile, his energy. His enthusiasm was really, really infectious. He would always love to talk with the kids, and he would really spend a lot of his time just working with kids and trying to support them. I remember one time last year, when he realized that one of the decathletes was colorblind, he got him colorblind glasses, just so that he could see color. Small moments like this really define Mr. Pacheco.”
As your mentor, what do you think Mr. Pacheco would be telling you – and the students – heading into the state competition?
“He would say, ‘You've done a good job.’ Stepping into this role is not easy, and I've put a lot of time into it, a lot of dedication, and he would be really proud of me. As for the team, he would probably say the same thing. They've sacrificed their social lives. They've put their entire life into this competition. He would be really, really happy to see them compete, and to eventually win medals, and I think he would honestly just smile. I think he would just be really, really proud, and just give everyone the biggest smile, big hug. And then he'll continue about his job – his duty – as a teacher.”
Mike Pacheco, former Garfield High School math teacher and decathlon coach, husband and father of six, passed away from cancer on February 4. He was 48 years old. Photo courtesy of Lucy Romero.
NAME: Mathew Cortez-Aguilar
GRADE: Senior
Photo by Robin Estrin.
What did Mr. Pacheco mean to you as a coach?
“Mr. Pacheco had a really big influence in my life. He made me realize that I do really like math. And this year, when I got my gold medal in math [in the city competition], I was really happy. At state, I do want to make it my mission to hopefully get a gold medal. But if not, I want to get my first math medal at state in honor of Mr. Pacheco, for teaching me how much I love math, and for sticking with me and the team for these last three years.”
NAME: Joseph Villa
GRADE: Sophomore
Photo by Robin Estrin.
What does being on this team mean to you?
“My grandparents were immigrants – they came from Mexico. Their whole dream was to have a better future for their children, themselves and future generations. I got separated from my mother and father when I was 5, so I was placed in a foster home. I've never really known what it meant to have family. So when I came to decathlon, getting to know everybody, it really filled in that empty space in my heart. They mean pretty much the whole world to me. They support me every day. They encourage me to become better – become a better me. But also at the same time, when I'm at my lowest of lows, they're still there, when many people haven't. They mean very, very much to me.”
What are you looking forward to most about the state competition?
“Music is my biggest and most favorite subject. And I'm hoping to get a medal. I'm not sure. But I'm trying my best. I'm studying hard.”
Is there anything besides the academic decathlon competition you’re looking forward to?
“I'm planning on going to visit my mother in Mexico. It's one of the first times I'm going to see her after all the problems I had gone through when I was a child. So I'm very excited for it, since with decathlon, I'm always busy, and I can't call her all the time. My mother is a very impactful person to me, even with all her mistakes.”
NAME: Brianna Baltazar
GRADE: Junior
Photo by Robin Estrin.
What are the subjects that you're most excited about?
“I’m really excited for mathematics. I'm taking calculus right now in school. I feel really comfortable with calculus, and not a lot of us are. And geometry is self-explanatory to me. I also really like art, and it was fun joining academic decathlon and being able to explore my love for art, because I feel like I had lost touch with it a bit, because I didn't have as much time. I also am really excited for literature.”
Are their subjects you’re more nervous about?
“Economics is one of them. Money is always so stressful.”
What are you looking forward to the most about the competition?
“I'm really excited because this is my first year. I'm also really excited because I've never flown on a plane before. I've never had the opportunity to. I'm scared about that, but it's exciting, and I'm just excited to share that with my team. Also, I medaled at [the city competition], I got a perfect score on my interview – so I would like to continue that at state.”
