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Cargol ~ By Merle Bowers
October 16, 2010
Chevy Cargol instructs his students at Raytown South.
Tribune Photo / Merle Bowers
“…and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
On September 17, 2010, Constitution Day, Raytown South Spanish teacher Xavier Cargol repeated these words along with about 50 others from around the world, With that oath, Mr. Cargol ended a 19 year journey that began on a very simple decision.
In the summer of 1991, Nando Heras (now working in the financial industry in Spain) made plans to attend a basketball camp run by Coach Bobby Knight at the University of Indiana. He asked his friend Chevy Cargol (Chevy being to Xavier as Bob is to Robert) to travel with him to the United States to attend the camp. Chevy had played on a club team in Spain, due to the lack of high school teams. He had a dream of playing professional basketball and felt that this camp might help him achieve that dream. “It was never my dream growing up to move to the US, I almost didn’t go to that camp.”
While attending the camp and playing on a team for the summer, he caught the attention of a coach at Truman State University. Truman State offered him a scholarship to play basketball. Chevy left his family in Spain to play for Truman State University. “This was an opportunity I would have never had in Spain,” Cargol shared. Due to a lack of English skills and other academic requirements, he had to attend one year at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa “I had two years of English in Spain, but would sit in class and not be able to understand a word the professor was saying, I recognized the numbers in Algebra, but that was about all.” After improving his English skills and earning some credit, he was able to begin the 1992/93 academic year at Truman State where he played for three years while working on his major in Exercise Science. After using up his athletic eligibility, he continued at Truman to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and later his Master of Arts degree in Spanish. He taught in Kirksville while attending Truman and choose to become a Spanish teacher at Cactus High School in Glendale Arizona upon graduation. While at Cactus HS, he taught during the day and served as their athletic trainer. He worked all of this time under a student visa, while applying for his green card which he obtained five years ago.
Although a Spanish citizen and feeling that Spain was his homeland, Chevy was beginning to have strong feelings for his new country. He had many friends in the Kansas City area and began to look for jobs closer to where his friends lived. Starting the school year of 2007/2008 he chose to teach Spanish at Raytown South High School. He also continued the process and paperwork to become a US Citizen. Cargol credits the United States with his earning a college degree and opening up options for his life. “This country gave me an education I couldn’t get in Spain.” When he first came to the United States to play basketball, he never intended to become a citizen, but “this place changes you. I lived in Spain for 20 years. But by the time I became a citizen, I felt I was as much an American as a Spaniard.” With family and ties still in Spain, he has chosen to maintain dual citizenship.
His father, Joan; mother, Elvira; brother Pepe and twin brother Pere, live in the village of Saint Joan les Fonts, north of Barcelona in the Pyrenees Mountains. Two years ago, he entertained his nieces, the daughter of Pepe, while they visited on summer break. He continues to have strong feeling for his homeland, but after living in the US, he felt citizenship was the logical next step.
Cargol looks forward to continuing to teach and help students realize the American dream. “Basketball was the vehicle to my education, but I realized I wouldn’t make a living playing. I chose to teach and shape young lives. I am excited for the opportunities available to me in the United States and hope I can give back for the benefits I have received.”
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Basketball Scores 2/15/11(Contains correction from earlier post)
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