TAMPA, Fla. — Miguel Alonso is a success coach at Leto High School. He spent 10 years teaching there, and this is his first year as a success coach.

“He’s like a magnet. They seek him out when they have problems. They search for him. They know that they can trust him,” said Cece Silva, one of Alonso’s colleagues. 

If you walk around campus with him, you’ll see students constantly stopping to speak with Alonso.

“I’ve been in this community a long time and I’m part of the culture. And I feel like these kids, I relate to them,” said Alonso. “A lot of things we do is talk to them about their academics, how they’re feeling, how are things at home, how are things with other students. Any conflict that they’re feeling, we try to resolve those.”

He’s also the assistant soccer coach. Alonso is connected to many students at Leto High, and he’s able to help them through challenges based on his experiences.

He moved here from Venezuela when he was in high school.

“I speak Spanish as most of the students here do, and I did have a troubled past where I would get in trouble as a teenager. I wasn’t doing well in school,” said Alonso.

Alonso knows what it takes to get back on the right track and he shares that with his students. He says the first step is learning what they need.

“The main thing is to listen to what they’re going through and providing whatever support they need. So there’s not a particular way of doing it, it’s whatever they need,” said Alonso.

He is happy to help every student find success and reach their full potential.