As a student at Rod Kelley Elementary School, Brownell Middle School and then Gilroy High, Robert Guerrero never had a professional athlete pay his class a visit to speak about achieving one's dreams.
That's why the two-time IBF Featherweight champion of the world, known simply as "The Ghost" to many Gilroy youngsters, has been spending time recently talking with students at Las Animas Elementary and Rod Kelley about the importance of getting an education, staying physically fit and never giving up on their goals.
"I'm just letting them know you gotta focus, you gotta work hard, you gotta study, do your homework and pay attention to your teachers," Guerrero said.
"It's about inspiring kids, and (not) inspiring them the wrong way; not leading them the wrong way where all they're looking for is fame and fortune. There's a lot of stuff on TV that's just garbage and it's really misleading them."
Guerrero, 25, noted that while he wasn't fortunate enough to have a local icon give him advice at a young age, the main reason he was able to succeed in an arena that few are able is due to the support he had at home.
"One thing you never want to do is shoot somebody's dream down," he said. "My family always had a lot of confidence in us (kids) ... When you got your family backing you, you got your parents backing you 100 percent, nothing is going to stop you except (not believing in) yourself."
Staying active in the community has allowed Guerrero to be noticed for more than just his good looks and good fortune in the ring. This past week he was nominated, along with fellow Gilroy native and NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia, as one of 2008's Most Influential Latinos of Silicon Valley by the Mexican American Community Services Agency. The public can vote for both men by going to redcarpetgala.com, and a ceremony will be held June 14 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.
Having not one, but two individuals from a small town such as Gilroy as examples of supreme athletic success is something Guerrero thinks can only help the next generation.
"It really inspires a lot of the youth when they see two prime athletes coming out of the Bay Area and also a little town like Gilroy," he said. "It really gets them going."
After attending a fund-raiser held by Garcia's "Garcia Pass It On Foundation" in February, the boxer found himself inspired.
"There's been talk ... to set up a foundation to take care of underprivileged kids," Guerrero said. "I was one of those underprivileged kids. It takes a lot of backing to make it in sports so that would be awesome."
Until his next bout, which the champ said should happen this summer, Guerrero will continue to make the rounds by speaking to kids and attending community functions.
"It just motivates me to motivate kids," he said. "To be in the position to have an impact on them is cool."
It's hard to imagine the kids not feeling the same way.
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Robert Guerrero will be taking part in the Cinco de Mayo parade taking place in downtown San Jose this Sunday.
Josh Koehn Josh Koehn is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at jkoehn@svnewspapers.com.
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A football patriarch
