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He wasn’t sure he wanted to put in that sort of effort, but a fellow student, Kevin Nduke, who would become his best friend, convinced him to enroll in AP classes and AVID, saysing it would help Tamene get to college.

“I hadn’t even thought about college,” Tamene says, “but I did it. The first AP class, the teacher asked me a question, and I didn’t know the answer. I felt like the stupidest kid in the room, but Kevin convinced me to stick with it.”

Tamene’s father — who after being laid off took a job at 7-Eleven where he works long hours — encourages him too.

“In Ethiopia, my grandfather was a teacher. My dad regrets not going to school, and he encourages me to work hard so I can be successful.”

Today, on the Lake Highlands track team, Tamene is second only to Meron Fessahaie, a three-time District 9-5A gold medalist.

Fessahaie is his friend. But, he says, “my goal is to beat him.”

He hopes that someday he can motivate other kids the way his friend, Kevin, motivated him.