Humans of Downey - Dario

"A person I consider as a hero in my life would be my dad. I have come to understand how important a father figure is in a person's life. I'm in social work, and I know that a strong male figure is key to a person's success in life. My dad, since we were very young, was showing me how to do the right thing, to go to school and get a good education. He would say, 'Be better than me. Take advantage of the situations.' Now my mindset is school, a good education, and choose the right way and hopefully it will turn out well.

"When I was younger, my dad wanted me to be a professional baseball player. I wasn't into it as much as he was but I wanted to please him. So in the 6th and 7th grades I made him buy all this expensive gear. I later regretted this part of the story. I love baseball to this day but I just wasn't that good. That was one time when my dad and I disagreed about my future. He had almost been drafted into the minor leagues and later, he realized that he had wanted me to follow in his footsteps. But it just wasn't me.

"Later, I became involved in music and now do it professionally. My dad is my biggest fan. I hear him say to his friends, 'Oh yeah, my son has played at the House of Blues and the Conga Room.' You can tell there is a sense of pride in him."
~ Dario