Milton E. Duran

Eppie teaching kids

My hero is a man named Eppie Duran. He is my hero for a lot of reasons. First, he helps everyone he can. He takes kids off the street and takes them in to help them. Eppie is a boxing coach in a really bad neighborhood, where I’m from, with lots of gangs and drugs. He believes no matter what a kid has gone through, he can still be different than other people and do something with his life. I never would have believed that, but he showed me that I was better than being in gangs and I had a chance in life. He shows everyone the same respect as me. He takes kids in the gym and shows them respect as well. But he is more than a coach. He is also a foster parent and helps those kids without parents and family. That's why he is my hero.

Eppie is from Pueblo, Colorado. Pueblo is an alright town in some places, but down in the lower eastside, where I grew up, it is filled with violence, drugs, and gangs. Eppie came from the same background of violence, but he wanted to show every gang banger out there that there was more to life than that. He always told me to keep my head up and stay strong, and I thank him for that because he saved my life just by encouraging me.

He was born in the 60’s and he is still alive. He served as a soldier in Korea and it's because of people like Eppie that there are more kids going to school and staying off the streets. I’m sure there are more people out there that would say “Eppie Duran is my hero.” I thank him for changing my life.