Student Nomination Story

I have written and rewritten this so many times. I find it funny how my major is in writing, yet I find it difficult to choose exactly how to honor this man in the written word. I am not sure if there are enough words in any language to say how thankful I am and how proud I am to know him. So I will try my best. Mr. Kevin Ilac has done so much for so many people. But, I cannot speak for those people, I can only speak for myself. As of right now I am attending New York University and will obtain a BA in Creative Writing. Now that last sentence may not mean much to some people. It may just seem like a fact, a set of words bridged together to make a coherent sentence. But to me and those who know me, know that those eighteen words are a dream come true. It was a dream I was not even sure I could or should chase after. The world I come from, attending a university seems like a far stretch. Not because I didn't have the brains or the will, but because I didn't have the funds or people I could look up to who have been to college and know all it takes to get there. I would have to pave the way myself. I would have to be the first. I was scared and I was uncertain. I met Mr. Ilac my sophomore year in High School. He was taking over my AVID class after the previous teacher could no longer teach it. AVID stands for Advanced Via Individual Determination, it is a program whose goal is to get Jr. High school and High School students ready for college level work. So yea, for me college was a dream, but not one I was so sure I could afford to have. When Mr. Ilac introduced himself to the class as our new teacher he gave off an interesting vibe. It was commanding and comforting all at the same time. I remember feeling both scared and safe. Scared because he was someone I did not want to disappoint and safe because I felt he was someone I could look up to. As time went on he became a second father to me. I could say that throughout my entire high school career, he was the central father figure that I had. See, my father was in the military for my whole life. After the age of nine I really only saw my father once a year for a few days, twice if I was lucky. The step-fathers in my life were not men I could look up to. Really Ilac was a man I would see everyday who treated me, his AVID student, not like a student but as person. He knew I was person with dreams and ambitions and he believed in each and every one of them. He was honestly the only person who did not look at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to go to NYU. And I believe that belief in me was the only reason I kept going even after NYU rejected me the first time. He gave me hope, in myself and in my future. There is one moment that sticks with me out of all of them. It was my junior year. Mr. Ilac assigned us to read and write about a book by Ernest Cline titled "Ready Player One."And he told us to buy it, that it would not be that much on Amazon, maybe $10.00. The thing about my household was, we could not afford a $10.00 book. The second he said that so many thoughts ran through my head..."I can't afford that"..."If I take it from the library I can't take notes, underline or highlight"..."what am I going to do?" Money in my household had always been a rough subject. My mom was a single mother raising four kids, it could not have been easy. I know that we could not afford the city bus so I would walk to school everyday. I would walk to the library if I needed to do research or homework over the weekend because for a time we could not afford a computer or internet or a printer. So when Mr. Ilac said we would have to buy our own book my heart sank. But then he said something at the very end, "If you feel you may have trouble purchasing it, talk to me in private and I will buy it for you and you can pay it back later." My heart floated back to the surface. I waited until no one else was in the room and told him as I tried to hold back tears that I would not be able to afford a $10.00 book. Without hesitation he just nodded as said, "Don't worry about it." Of course I did worry about it. I did not know how I would get the money to pay him back. I remember thinking, "If I ask my mom for a dollar a day for ten days, it will work...but she might get suspicious." What I remember the most is the day he gave me the book. I told him I would pay him back later and he said, "Don't worry about it." I thanked him. But when I got home I locked myself in my room, held the book and cried. I cried because he did not let my situation define me. He knew my background, but he also knew my dream. And he promised that if we did the work he would help us in any way to achieve that dream. I cried because he is one of the only people I knew who kept to that promise. And I will never forget that. He was there when I was struggling at home, when I was struggling with my sexuality when I was struggling with groceries. No really, once he saw me walking all the groceries to my home, about 1/2 mile away...to feed 5 people for a week. He stopped his car, helped load them in his car and drove me home where I could unload them and get started with my homework early. He was there for my high school graduation, he was there when NYU rejected me the first time and he was there when NYU finally accepted me. Before I met Ilac, I was just this poor girl who thought that dreams were too far out of reach. I'm the girl who just 6 years ago could not afford a $10.00 book, now goes to NYU studying to write a book. My goal in life is to inspire people the way Mr. Ilac has inspired me: to be the best version of yourself regardless of your surroundings. I wake up everyday thankful to a man the lives across the country and every day I try to make him proud. Thank you Mr. Ilac. Thank you.

Amada Villalobos

Kevin Ilac is the main reason I am the person that I have become today. I would not be in college without him. In the middle of my eighth grade year my world was shaken drastically by being put into the foster system with my two sisters. One of my older sisters was in Mr. Ilac's high school AVID class and gotten to know him and grew to trust him. She opened up to him and told him what was going on in our home lives. So, even before I know Mr. Ilac, he knew about me. Going into my freshman year I applied for AVID. Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of being in Mr. Ilac's AVID class, however, he was a major part of the interviews. He knew that I needed to be pushed in order to show my truest potential and really be vulnerable. If it weren't for Mr. Ilac asking the hard questions that need to be asked I would not have gotten into the AVID program which opened up the door and opportunities for me to go to college. The winter of my freshman year I was struggling with which sport I was wanting to choose, either water polo or wrestling. After a few encouraging words Mr. Ilac went from my sister's teacher to Coach Ilac. Throughout my life I was a very angry child with no outlet for my anger other than my sports. Wrestling created a positive opportunity for me to express myself on the mat. Coach Ilac encouraged me to wrestle up a weight class and be one of the only freshman in the varsity lineup. This was the first crucial point influenced by Mr. Ilac without him even realizing how big it was to me. Somebody finally believed I could do something important. The middle of my freshman year somewhere in the season my grades had started to fall and I was on academic probation. Mr. Ilac sat me down and said to me, "Do you want to be in AVID? Do you want to wrestle?" My answers of course were yes. He responded with "You need to make that decision and get your act together because if you do not start now then you will not be able to do any of the things you want to do." Now this may not seem like a big deal to most but to me it was. It meant he was watching out for me, keeping up with how I was doing. He was investing in all aspects of my life without me even knowing most of it. As the season continued I became closer and closer to my coach. He became more and more of a role model to me, a father figure I would even say. He became one of the closest things to a parent that I had throughout high school. As the season passed he was always in my corner, not only on the mat but also academically and in the family aspect. His wife and two sons became family to me as well. It amazed me at how much effort he could put into each and every student and still manage to be an amazing father and husband at home. With each and every one of my accomplishments he was there to cheer me on. As my junior year started and I began looking at colleges and starting essays, Kevin Ilac was there to edit my papers, look more in depth into the specific colleges, help me understand the financial aspect of college. He put in his time and energy to make sure I had my best options open. Junior wrestling season was a big year for me. I placed at CIF, State, and became an All-American. Like usual Ilac was always in my corner, my main support system, my coach, and my role model. My junior year was also the first year I would be living alone with my foster parents without my sister since they were off at college again thanks to Mr. Ilac. As my junior year ended and my senior year began my anxiety flared and the only people there to help were Mr. Ilac and his family. Senior year he sat down with me almost daily helping me apply to colleges, re-editing my essays, encouraging me, helping me with homework and so on. He looked into every college that was talking to me, helped me train for senior season of wrestling and prepare to wrestle in college. He never gave up on me, which I was used to people doing. All throughout my senior year he was a solid pillar in my life, and a stable role model whom I knew I could turn to. Even to this day he continues to invest in my life. I am only one of the many people he has impacted and continues to impact. There are numerous people that Kevin Ilac has shaped and encouraged and help to get where they are today. I couldn't thank Kevin Ilac enough for the support and encouragement, the long talks and the rough talks, the motivation and the strength he instilled in me. I am the person I am today because of the impact he had on my life and I can honestly say I would not be where I am without him and his amazing family. So thank you Kevin Ilac and Robin and the boys for investing in me and so many others to shape us into the people we are today. We love you.

Torey Barrett

I grew up a very shy kid and I never really made any connections with my teachers. Coming into high school was very difficult because I had trouble getting out of my shell. I decided to try out for the girls' wrestling team and that completely changed my life. Mr. Ilac didn't make it seem like a sport or team to me, he made it seem like family. He always says "FAITH" which stands for Family, Academics, Industrious, Truthful, and Hope. I have carried that all throughout my high school career. Before I met Ilac I had no desire to get higher education. But after him talking about his life and his struggles in life I decided to apply to colleges. He has impacted so many kids in his life and I see it every day. Everybody on campus knows him and respects him. He's helped so many people and kids and I feel like he deserves some recognition for all the good he has done. For the first time in my life I made a connection with a teacher and I will never forget FAITH.

Daniela Rivas

Mr. Ilac really inspired me to go to college. He yelled at me to go through with it because he knew I could do it and would succeed. More importantly he was my wrestling coach and through that he taught me more than school can ever teach me. He taught me about perseverance, to fight through struggles, and to never give up.

Ezequiel Pena

My coach has been a second dad to me. He has always been there when I needed him. If I'm ever struggling he has helped me grow. He is the reason I am in college right now pursuing my dreams and I can't thank him enough for that.

Carolina Molina

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