When Scotts Valley High School registrar Barbara Tansy found out about Raul Ezekiel Ortiz’s unstable living situation, she decided to do something.

Ortiz had been living in different relatives’ houses until his mother took him to Santa Cruz to live with his sick grandfather. But when Ortiz’s grandfather could no longer care for him, Ortiz was going to be turned over to a shelter.

That’s when Tansy and her husband Tom took Ortiz into their home. Through the foster care system, Ortiz’s biological parents were stripped of their rights, and Ortiz became the Tansy’s third child.

Today, Raul Ezekiel Ortiz, a 20-year-old marketing major, is the No.1-ranked wrestler in the 141-pound weight class division. Ortiz previously wrestled at Palomar College where he placed second in State, but since then, he has won Most Outstanding Wrestler at the City College Invitational and West Hills Invite for City College. Ortiz is also an Academic All American with a 4.0 GPA of over 17.5 units last semester.

“Being taken in by [the Tansys] showed me I could be loved, that I am worth it, and it showed me there are good people,” says Ortiz. “They gave me a second shot at being happy and healing from everything I went through. Prior to that, everything just happened to me—the changing houses and who’s going to take care of me. They gave me a chance; the last thing I want to do is not make something of that.”

Barbara Tansy, a mother of two adult children, recalls, “I always knew there was going to be another one. When Raul’s grandpa said he was going to dump him somewhere and he was going to take him some shelter or turn him over to the police, I said, ‘No, don’t do that. We’ll take him.’ It just came out of my mouth. I went home to Tom and said, ‘I did something today.’’’ 

Still, the transition was not easy for the Latino Ortiz, who, Tansy says, never fit into the white, upper-middle-class Scotts Valley High School. He would routinely get sent to the office by teachers because of his behavior in the classroom, and that’s where Barbara would go sit and hang out with Ortiz while he seethed. Ortiz got close to Tansy after his numerous visits to the office and they both recall a story of when Ortiz came into the office expressing his love for football. That’s when Tansy saw a different side of Ortiz that was never seen before.

“I’ve never seen him anything but angry,” says Tansy. “One-day he came into the office with his football gear and yelled ‘I love football!’ And just ran out the door. I said ‘wow’ I’ve never seen that before it was so adorable. So happy and pleased. It was the first time I had seen that side of him.”

Tansy recalls that Tom, her husband, he wasn’t initially enthusiastic when he heard the news. 

“I wasn’t looking for another kid at that point, especially not a teenager,” says Tom. “It was a tough go at first because [Ortiz] wasn’t used to being domesticated that much. But he’s working hard to be a man for others, and that’s what I love about him.”

Ortiz needed an outlet for all of his anger, so the Tansys decided to get Ortiz started in boxing.

“I hate boxing, but I said, ’This boy needs to hit something.’ He boxed the shit out of those heavy bags,” recalls Barbara.

Ortiz started wrestling his sophomore year of high school. Though he had never wrestled before, other than roughhousing with his friends as a younger kid, he soon discovered that he loved the sport and all the lessons that came with it. 

“I love wrestling because everything it teaches you on an individual basis,” says Ortiz. “It teaches you to be accountable, to take responsibility for the outcome, not only in wrestling but in life because at the end of the day there is not a ref you can point at or a teammate that didn’t make a block or knock down that three-pointer. The thing I love most about wrestling is that it all comes down to you, and I feel like it’s a really good metaphor for life.”

Coach Marques Gales, this season’s new wrestling coach after longtime coach David Pacheco retired last spring, came to City College from Connecticut. He recalls that Ortiz was one of the first wrestlers to reach out and make Gales feel welcome.

“I love his intensity and competitive nature,” says Gales. “He brings a lot to our program—has a lot of energy, great spirit, fun-loving, wears his heart on his sleeve—a great leader, very vocal. He’s made a huge impact on a lot of the guys in our program.” 

As the No.1-ranked wrestler in his weight class, Ortiz does more than just practice on the mat to prepare for his matches. Ortiz believes that the physical aspect is just half of what it takes to become a good wrestler and that reading books by the best athletes helps him prepare mentally. 

“I read a lot of sports psychology books by Tim Grover and Dan Gable, who is a legend in our sport,” said Ortiz. “I like to read about some of the best athletes and what they do mentally to prepare for competition, and I try to emulate that in my preparation. All sports are physical endeavors, and such a big part of it is mental so understanding where you need to be mentally prior to competition is key.”

Wrestling isn’t the only physical activity that Ortiz practices. He has dabbled in mixed martial arts, including Muay Thai, boxing and jiu-jitsu. Ortiz isn’t fully committed to jumping to MMA just yet because he wants to finish his career as a collegiate wrestler. Ortiz signed an athletic scholarship in February to wrestle at Menlo College, which he will attend next fall.

“I want to finish my career at a four-year, get my degree, and then if the opportunity arises where I can get my master’s while either coaching or being a grad assistant. That would be ideal,” says Ortiz. “Once I get the degree that I want, and once I’m finished with the sport of wrestling, I want to continue training and sharpening my skills. MMA is a clear path to go down, so if the opportunity arises to chase that endeavor, then I will make sure to do that.”

Ortiz says that his rough start growing up has taught him a great deal and helped shape him into the man he is today. Ortiz is really grateful for the love and support the Tansys have given him and has learned that he can get through any struggle after what he’s faced.

“That was a turning point in my life,” says Ortiz. “Being with a family that has my best interest at heart. Being brought into their home and them accepting me as their son. I am their son. The rough start early in life helped shape my tenacity, it helped shape my perseverance. Whenever I go through a struggle, I realize I’ve been through worse, and not every struggle lasts forever. If I can get through what I’ve been through at a young age, I can get through anything.”