Three sports, two states, one dream: Going to SDSU

Four years after moving to San Diego County from Texas, Dillan Villarreal was thriving. 

He was a three-sport varsity athlete at Castle Park High School in Chula Vista with solid grades and his sights set on attending San Diego State University, his dream school. 

But near the end of his junior year, his stepfather, who was in the U.S. Navy, was stationed in Hawaii. Suddenly, everything he was working toward was thrown into doubt. 

So, at age 17, Villarreal called an audible: He told his parents he was returning to San Diego, with or without them.

“Hawaii was beautiful, but I didn’t fit in,” Villarreal said. “I had way too much on the line back home, and I didn’t want to miss my senior year, so I told my parents that I was going back, and they could either support the move or I would move back as soon as I turned 18.

“I told my mom that you don’t have to worry about me, because I’d be OK, because I knew what my goals were,” he said. “And my goal was to go to SDSU.”

Villarreal saved $3,000 while in Hawaii, enough to move back to San Diego during summer 2024. He initially lived with one of his friends until a coach took him in for the final month before his 18th birthday. His basketball coach helped him navigate the social safety net after he turned 18, which helped him to secure no-cost housing and Cal Fresh assistance. 

His teammates, coaches and girlfriend’s grandparents helped to fill the void of the family 2,600 miles away.

“That’s what I’ve always loved about sports, it’s a family and you build a community,” Villarreal said. “But I still kept in touch with my family. I’d call my mom when I needed help cooking dinner, or I’d reach out to my grandmother in Texas because she was a great cook.”

Living on his own, playing three sports – track and field was his third sport – and maintaining his grades wasn’t easy, Villarreal said. A quarterback for the Trojans, his performance on the field suffered his final year as a result of the juggling act as well as a high-ankle sprain that hampered him throughout football season. 

He also wasn’t able to find a job for 10 months due to his stacked schedule, so financially times were often lean. But he was recently hired by the new Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center on the Chula Vista waterfront, where he works as a guest arrival expert.

Dream come true

Despite the adversity, Villarreal graduated with a 3.5 grade-point average, and was accepted into SDSU during the spring. 

“Getting accepted into SDSU was one of the best moments of my life, I cried,” Villarreal said. “It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get here, but in the end, I think it all worked out.”

Villarreal spent this summer preparing for the rigors of college life as part of the EOPOS Summer Bridge program, an intensive five-week, residential academic preparation program designed to enhance student educational achievement.

“I loved every part of it,” he said. “The classes were tough, but it was organized so that you had time to get your work done, and I feel like it’s really helped me understand what college is going to feel like, and I am excited for that first day.”

Alejandro Castruita, an EOP, Outreach & Success counselor, said he believes Villarreal’s triumph over adversity his senior year speaks to his character, which has already left an impression on him and others over the summer. 

“I think it speaks to his character, he uses his struggles as a means to fuel his journey and continue to prove those that have doubted them in the past,” Castruita said. “Something that stands out about Dylan is the way he can always be humble and respectful; it is something that can be seen as “simple,” yet makes such a difference. People gravitate towards him because of this.”

Castruita said Villarreal has the potential for greatness. 

“I try not to set expectations on students because that is for them to do, but I hope he has fun and enjoys himself,” he said.  “He has so much to offer, and I know he will make an impact in any space he is a part of.”

A history major, Villarreal also plans to walk on to the SDSU Air Force ROTC in hopes of becoming a commissioned officer when he graduates, fulfilling one of his mother’s dreams. 

“I know I’ve gotta fight my way up in order to become an officer, it’s not guaranteed,” Villarreal said. “Even though sports has been my whole life, I realistically thought of joining the military, and I chose the Air Force because my mom wanted to join, but she couldn’t once she had me and my brother. She had to sacrifice her goals and dreams for us, so I thought, you know what? I’m going to do it for her.”