This article first appeared in print on October 2023 in the Chimes Magazine Vol. 3, Issue 1 edition.

Diego Preciado’s journey to Biola began with his graduation from Stanford University. He started his first year on the football team there in 2019, making the Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll twice while playing as wide receiver and kicker on the football team. Graduating in the spring of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in product design. He is pursuing a masters in business administration at Biola University.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Preciado is a Latino graduate student with mixed heritage.

“My dad is Panamanian, and his side of the family makes some amazing food: tamales, arroz con pollo, pozole, and a lot of other fantastic dishes,” Preciado said. “A lot of music is sung at family gatherings as well, mostly traditional worship songs and Spanish worship music.”

Growing up in San Diego’s Rancho Santa Fe, a rich neighborhood, Preciado grew up with a difficult financial situation. 

“My dad has worked in ministry for 20-plus years and sacrificed his corporate career and position in order to continue serving the Lord,” Preciado said.

His family received help in various ways, from relatives supplying meals to getting a ride to practice from friends. Preciado struggled with the difficulties his family faced, but he came to realize he was not alone.

Preciado recalls playing football in the inner city, mingling and competing with people from all kinds of backgrounds, whether that was White, African American or fellow Latinos. Many of the people he met came from similar financial backgrounds as himself.

“I thought I had it rough. And then some of these guys have it even worse than I did,” Preciado said. “There was always someone who’s gonna have it better than you do. But there’s plenty of people who have it worse than you do.”

Preciado’s father also shaped the way he approaches the challenges of his life.

Preciado said his father always taught him that it is far better to address a conflict as soon as it surfaces in your life than to sit back and allow it to grow while you do nothing. Everyday, he believes there is something that merits being addressed and so he does his best to do so.

It is with this mindset that Preciado perseveres as he plays sports, especially in his transition from football to soccer.

BECOMING A SOCCER PLAYER AGAIN

Preciado played soccer in his childhood, but focused more on football at Stanford. When he entered Biola’s men’s soccer team in 2023, it proved to be a challenge.

Early in the season, Preciado had much ground to cover. He had to be patient with himself since most of his teammates experienced a much more specific training regimen for 4-5 years. 

“Starting training camp, I was far behind everybody else, technically, fitness-wise, touch on the ball, pace of play. I felt like I was being left in the dust pretty much every training session,” said Preciado. “It took a couple weeks of running, getting fit, lifting, exercising, thinking like a soccer player again for me to kind of finally catch back up and feel like I’m at a place where I can start making contributions on the field.”

Preciado had also been worried about how his team would accept him with his different soccer skillset.

“I had come with a preconceived notion of how I thought people would have treated me. And it’s been great to see that everyone is just accepting me for who I am and what I bring to the table,” Preciado said.

His first game with significant playing time was on September 20 against Stanton University, where he logged twenty five minutes.

THE CAMARADERIE OF SPORTS

As Preciado engages in sports, he does not see his Hispanic identity greatly affecting his performance or presence in his team.

“I’m very proud of who I am and where I come from. And I’m always happy to share that with people. But I think so much of my identity is outside of the color of my skin,” Preciado said. “I also grew up in a very diverse area …You get a lot of different people from a lot of different places. You learn to be comfortable with and learn how to love and appreciate all different types of cultures.”

Preciado sees sports as a place to unite amidst diversity. A lot of sport boils down to sharing common goals such as the desire to win. In the face of this, cultural identities do not matter as much.

“One of my favorite parts about playing sports is seeing people who are completely different from me,” said Preciado. “Even on this team, we have three dudes from Germany. And they’re some of the dudes I’m the closest with on the team. They’re just so much fun to be with and learning how to appreciate people’s differences and not necessarily look at them weird because of it. That’s the beauty of sports.”

A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY

Preciado chose Biola in part because its close proximity to home allowed his family to attend his games. 

“My parents only live about an hour from here, an hour and a half in San Diego. So they will come to all my games, I’m able to visit home whenever I want,” Preciado said. “At Stanford, you know, the eight hour nine hour drive was very tough whenever I wanted to see friends or family or for them to come visit me at games.”

Preciado greatly values his family and finds comfort in their presence. His family’s hard-working ethic has continued to inspire him in his own endeavors in academics and sports.

“[They] have climbed over some incredible and seemingly insurmountable walls in their life, and continue to do so,” Preciado said. “I owe most of my success not only to the hard work and process it took to get here but to the endless support I received from friends and family along the way.”

GOD’S EXTENDED GRACE

Ultimately, Preciado feels blessed to have family members that are not just devoting time to each other but also devoting their time to the Lord in giving thanks for all the blessings they have received. 

Preciado shared that throughout his life he has specifically been most grateful for the presence of God. In times that were challenging and in times that were full of blessing, it has been what has sustained him. 

“Someone like me and the situation that I was in … the only reason I am where I am today is simply because of God’s grace and that grace that He has extended to me in what I have decided to do with my life … I’m excited to see where that continues to take me.”