Moises Tarango can be hard to find. Sometimes he's in the weight room, on the Capital High School football field, in the school's Advancement via Individual Determination Program or in a Mayor's Youth Advisory Board meeting.

His crazy schedule makes many wonder where he gets the determination and motivation.

"I look at my parents' lives and how hard it is for them and I just want a better life than what they had," Moises said.

Moises, a 16-year-old junior at Capital High, is a lifetime Santa Fean, but his parents grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, where he says the highest education level was sixth grade.

"They really did not have the chance to learn anything because of money," Moises said of his parents' childhood. His dad, also named Moises Tarango, immigrated to Santa Fe at 17 years old because it was close to Mexico and because he had relatives here. Moises' mom, Rosa Saenz, came when she was 21.

"I will go help my mom at her work and I see that not only is it not well paid, but it is also not that easy, so what motivates me is that I want to get an easier, better-paid job (rather) than just having a job because you need it," Moises said.

Moises has played both offensive and defensive positions on the varsity football team since his freshman year of high school, and it has taught him valuable life lessons.

"In life, people don't just give you strength, you have to earn it and that is the same way it is on the football field," Moises said. "If you don't work hard, it's hard to win."

That same mindset has lead Moises to become involved in other things besides football as he does not like to sit idle. His latest project is learning how to sell electronics imported from China on the Internet. He also advises Mayor David Coss and the City Council on issues regarding youth as a member of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board.

Moises encourages his peers to take advantage of all their opportunities.

"Look at other people who didn't have the chances we have right now," he said. And he's doing just that — working his hardest to earn good grades and stay away from drugs in hopes of pursuing a career in business or construction.

In the end, it's always his parents who give Moises his inspiration.

"I want to do something that I really like, so what motivates me is my parents and what they do — what they do to make us live a better life," he said. "I just work hard because I know that something — one day — will start to happen and I am just waiting for that moment."

Alex Wirth is a junior at Santa Fe Prep. You can reach him at alxwirth@gmail.com.