De La Hoya Doesn’t Pull Punches on Education During Visit to School
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Many of the girls were trembling, and the boys were staring wide-eyed at the auditorium stage of Graham Elementary School in southeastern Los Angeles County as a guest speaker was about to be introduced. Then from behind a screen, he appeared, the Golden Boy himself, world boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya. The crowd exploded.
“The most important thing in life is to love and listen to your parents,” the welterweight champion from East Los Angeles told the youngsters. “And when you go to school, it’s like the teachers are your second parents. Be a good kid.”
Evidently, De La Hoya practiced what he preaches. His third-grade teacher, Carol Koshi, whose husband teaches at Graham, gave a glowing report of Oscar’s school behavior.
“He was so nice,” said Koshi, whose still teaches at Ford Boulevard Elementary in East Los Angeles. “He did everything I asked of him. And he didn’t get into fights.”
He left the students with a final bit of advice:
“When you go home, give your mom a big hug and tell her that you love her and tell your parents, ‘Thanks for taking care of me.’ They’ll love you even more.”
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