In a span of only four years, Diego Chavez went from winning his fourth state championship at Eloy Santa Cruz, earning valedictorian status, wrestling at Arizona State and then becoming a businessman after earning a business degree as a Flinn scholar.
If he can do so much meaningful work in a short period of time, imagine what his lifetime of experiences will hold.
“Diego Chavez is not only an example of how one should carry themselves, but also proof that someone from a community like ours can thrive and achieve at the highest levels,” Jet Sports Training owner Bobby Rodriguez stated. “As the valedictorian of his high school class, Diego went on to wrestle at the D1 level and graduated from ASU’s business school with honors.”
Rodriguez hired Chavez to fill a newly created director of operations at his fitness business near Park Avenue and Ajo Way.
Chavez attended Arizona State’s Barrett Honors College and earned his bachelor’s degree in business through the W.P. Carey School of Business with a 3.75 GPA.
When he graduated from Arizona State in early May, he was an operations intern at the Legendary Prep Academy, a baseball development academy for middle and high school athletes based in Scottsdale.
“When it was time to graduate, we didn’t really align on positions, so that made me start looking for jobs,” Chavez said. “I did Indeed and Handshake, and all the different job sites, and I ended up finding a corporate job with Macy’s for a leadership development program that I really liked.
“I was excited to get an offer from them, and I was honestly going to take the offer. It was about the night before I was going to accept the offer, my dad had told me, ‘Hey, I know you don’t have social media right now, but Jet is posting that they would like some help within their space of work, and that they’re looking for someone for a position that possibly you could fill.”
Chavez called Rodriguez the next day. They set up a meeting. Chavez drove to Tucson from where he lives in Eloy. Rodriguez talked about the director of operations position while giving him a tour of the facility.
The title and pay of the position did not interest Chavez as much as what Rodriguez described as the importance of his business.
“He pitched me the whole business and I really fell in love with the community aspect, still being involved and still being able to change people’s lives rather than that corporate setting that I would have kind of just clocked in and clocked out kind of thing,” Chavez said.
Although Eloy is about 50 miles north of Tucson (an easy commute for him coming on I-10), he makes the drive daily to the Jet facility and feels at home.
A sense of family actually exists in Tucson with his brother Xavier attending Sunnyside and looking to match his brother’s four state titles. Xavier, who won the state title at 150 pounds in February, is training to compete in the Fargo Nationals at Fargo, N.D., next month.
The brothers spend time daily at a 1,500-square foot wrestling training facility by their house, which is on two acres of land at Eloy. They helped build it when the pandemic hit. Diego said he often trains with his brother there, drawing on his wrestling exploits. Their father Sergio was a fan of wrestling who did not compete when younger. Their mother Carmen stressed academics, which included reading. She required her sons to read daily.
Diego concentrated only on his studies after his freshman season with Arizona State’s wrestling program.
He continues his love for wrestling training with his brother.
“Especially this being his last year at Sunnyside, I wanted to be around and be able to be within driving distance to his practices, his matches, and all that,” said Diego Chavez, whose older brother Sergio III was a two-time state champ at Seton Catholic while coached by former Sunnyside standout Eric Larkin.
Chavez mentioned his operations director position at Jet Sports Training includes making sure the business runs seamlessly behind the scenes from the training.
“I make sure that the coaches are understanding what’s required of them, making sure that I’m instilling systems where things can run smoothly, and the coaches can just focus on giving the clients the best experience possible,” he said. “They don’t have to worry about any of the back-end stuff.”
Rodriguez mentioned many of the characteristics Chavez had as a wrestler, he is exhibiting in his role at Jet.
Chavez’s career included the four state titles and earning the 2021 Western Regional Championship in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
“More importantly, he is an exceptional person, resilient, disciplined, and dedicated in everything he puts his mind to,” Rodriguez stated. “Diego brings vision, leadership, and genuine desire to improve those around him.
“Through his daily efforts, he will continue to make a positive impact on our community, our athletes, the families and our staff at Jet Sports Training. We are grateful to have DIego Chavez as part of the Jet Sports Training team.”
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