Field open honors student’s memory

Paola Valenzuela Rojas was like most teenage girls: cheerful, kind, and always striving to be her best. As a standout student at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Tucson she participated in sports and excelled at track and field. The youngest in her family, Paola was often the shining light making her parents proud while being a best friend to her older brother and sister. 

Two days after she turned 14 though Paola’s seemingly ideal life turned upside down. She hadn’t been feeling well. The normally energetic and bubbly girl was suddenly more sleepy than usual and couldn’t rid pain in her knee. Doctors ran a series of tests; the results were devastating. “When the doctor told us that Paola had leukemia, the first question she asked was, ‘what stage?’ that’s how smart my daughter was,” Alejandra Valenzuela Rojas, Paola’s mom, told the New Outlook. Rojas said Paola was brave through treatment, even unfazed by hair loss, “The only time I saw her get upset was when the oncologist told her she wouldn’t be able to go to school anymore.” Paola loved being with her classmates and teachers, “she felt so strongly about education, her dream was to go to UCLA.” Despite aggressive cancer treatments and a highly competitive application process Paola’s commitment to education earned her a spot at one of the premier college preparatory schools in Arizona, “Our entire family was proud of her when she got accepted and we still are for that accomplishment,” Rojas said.  

Less than two years after Paola’s death, her short life continues to make big impact in Catholic education. This weekend the Diocese of Tucson hosted the inaugural Paola Valenzuela Field Open bringing together hundreds of students from eight Catholic elementary and middle schools. 

Ryan Anderson, the athletic director for the diocese, said though he only interacted once with Paola it was memorable, “I remember her consoling a student-athlete who was anxious about participating. Paola talked with her and reassured her that it was going to be okay. She didn’t have to do that, she just had this way of seeing someone suffering and reaching out to help make her feel better.” Anderson said Paola exemplified the spirit of the Catholic faith, “that’s why we’re honoring her legacy with this track meet. We don’t want our students and their families to forget Paola and the life she lived.” It’s a sentiment shared by Paola’s mom, “In the weeks after she died, and even today, almost two years later, people still come up to me and tell me sweet stories about my daughter. It gives me so much peace to know that so many people had great moments with her.” At the field meet held at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic school dozens of students and their families wore t-shirts and bracelets in Paola’s honor. Some knew Paola, but most did not.  

For Rojas being back on campus evoked painful yet joyful memories of her young daughter, “I’m so grateful that they thought about her, about creating this space for her, sharing her memory and honoring her. I’m very grateful.”  Rojas spent the day on the field talking with families and watching the students compete, “There’s not a second that I don’t remember her. She’s always with me. She gives me signs all the time. That’s what keeps me going. I remember her when I see her friends, and when I see kids being free and happy.”  
At one point Paola was in remission giving the family hope their daughter would beat the disease that rarely affects children, “She fought till the end, it was a painful eight months, but even in that darkness Paola was always the shining light,” her mother said. Though remembering her young daughter gives her moments of joy, her loss remains deeply painful, “Faith has been everything for me, but I can’t lie there have been hard moments when I’m not sure if I should believe. I question, ‘Why? Why us? Why her?' Rojas continued, “I’ve hung on to my faith like hanging on to the rope that will save your life because that is truly the only thing that can help you move through this.” Their Catholic faith is what guided Paola and continues to give her mother strength, “Paola is not gone, because a bond so strong like the love we have can never disappear or be broken. I believe in God, and that He will carry me through this and will let me hold her again.”  

Valenzuela addressed the students and parents at the field open, “Even just a small act of kindness can make a big difference. Hug your kids, in the good and bad, even when you’re angry just know they’re kids and just let know that the most important thing is not to win a trophy, not to be the best at something, but to be good inside and make a difference for somebody.”