Baseball's Alessandro Castro and Softball's Mia Casadei selected as the 2023 Lawrence R. Toledo Leadership recipients

Pima Community College Athletics selected its student-athletes for its annual Lawrence R. Toledo Leadership Award.

• Freshman baseball pitcher Alessandro Castro (Pusch Ridge Christian HS) and softball sophomore outfielder Mia Casadei (Tanque Verde HS) were selected as the 2023 Lawrence R. Toledo Leadership Award recipients.
• The award goes to one male and one female student-athlete in honor of Larry Toledo, who was Pima's first Athletic Director. He held the position at Pima for over 25 years.
• Alessandro Castro, Baseball LHP was born in Tucson. He graduated from Pusch Ridge Christian High School and joined the Aztecs this season; becoming an essential part of the team winning its first NJCAA Region I, Division I Championship since 1998 and helping the program gain the most wins in a single season since 1985.
  Castro is majoring in Business Administration and maintains a GPA in the range of 3.60-3.79. His goal is to play Major League Baseball but looks ahead after his career is over to own a business and acquire his real estate license to get into commercial real estate.
  He has volunteered for Gospel Rescue Mission helping serve dinner to the homeless at the Center for Opportunity, volunteered at his local church to clean camp facilities for incoming groups, assisted in set-up and takedown for The Cactus Classic Volleyball Invitational at the Tucson Convention Center and read to kids at local elementary schools.
  Castro initially was going to play at the University of Nevada, Reno out of high school but due to unforeseen circumstances decided to decommit. Frustration and discouragement about an uncertain future soon faded as he got into contact with coach Ken Jacome and found a home at Pima.
  (On decommitting) "I've shared my experience with my teammates to show them to keep working hard and not be discouraged. I hope my experience will encourage others to continue their journey in baseball or wherever life may take them."
  "My success in the classroom can be attributed to not only the work I have put in, but also the assistance I have received from teachers and the coaching staff. I have been able to stay disciplined by prioritizing academics, baseball, and family in order to maintain a proper balance."
  Castro is going to continue his collegiate endeavors and pitch for the University of Arizona starting in the fall while attending the Eller College of Management.
  "I have enjoyed the classes and teachers here at Pima. The content has been informative and challenging. The teachers I've encountered are very accessible and show a great interest in each student. Similar to athletics, academics is something that you have to put the effort in to achieve the results you want. There is simply no shortcut. Some may be more talented or smarter, but those who put the work in will eventually succeed."
• Mia Casadei (Tanque Verde HS), Softball Outfielder is from Tucson and graduated from Tanque Verde High School. She played in 101 games for her Pima career and helped the program earn their best overall and ACCAC conference records since 2017.
  Casadei is majoring in Dental Studies while maintaining a GPA range of 3.80-3.99. She aspires to be a Dental Hygienist.
  Casadei met with coach Rebekah Quiroz while playing for a club team called Velocity. She was looking for a future after high school shortly after Covid and got her chance with Pima after being offered a scholarship. She said she started out shy and timid her freshman year but quickly flipped the switch from "What is your roll?" to "Show them your roll," as she transitioned into a leadership role on the team. She said, "I wanted to not only lead by voice but by example. I exemplify what it means to be a great teammate first and a good player second."
  While working on taking on that role for the softball team, she found other ways to lead within her community. Last summer she took on a team lead role at the YMCA where she would plan fun and educational daily activities for kids ages 8-13. She particularly enjoyed the STEM and team building activities. She also joined Crossfit Kyber where she participated in individual, pairing and group workouts. 
  "I think doing something everyday to get out of your comfort zone, will always improve who you are as a person. I practice communication skills, time management skills and use integrity in every workout. I learned so much about team-building, teamwork and leadership through Crossfit."
  She made the most out of her education opportunities at Pima taking six classes each of the last two semesters (17 credit hours) as well as extra classes with softball, adding up to 21-23 hours. A student at-heart, Casadei loves to continue learning and says, "After this next semester she will have taken every English class that Pima offers." She earned a 4.0 GPA after her second semester and received an email from Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Casadei is also involved with a group called "Fight The New Drug" a group that spreads awareness about the negative effects of pornography in youth and adults. She is part of the street team that puts up informative banners, hands out fliers and educates people who reach out.
  Casadei will continue her educational opportunities and collegiate playing career at Ottawa University Arizona in Surprise.
  "Pima has truly changed my life and changed who I am as a person for the better. This experience has been nothing but amazing. None of these experiences would have happened without attending Pima. I wouldn't have been able to grow this much anywhere else. Signing (as a freshman) was all about the chance for opportunity and this college has given me every opportunity that I have needed to become the best version of myself. I couldn't be more proud to call myself an Aztec and exemplify what it means to be a leader, and especially to be considered to be up for the Larry Toledo Award. I strive to follow in the same path as Larry Toledo and serve my communities in the best ways possible, as he did."

Previous Lawrence R. Toledo Leadership Award recipients:

2013 – Da'Monique Davis and Yahya Kane
2014 – Kamree Cady and Scotty Watson
2015 – Murphy Gershman and Kaysee Pilgrim
2016 – Kristin Baldwin, Jamie Holliday, Kelsey Montano and Deontay Townsend
2017 – Jake Anastasi and Erin Peterson
2018 – Christian Maddox, Gabriel Mendoza, Jacqulynn Nakai and Tyra Yanez
2019 – Perla Blanco and Enrique Porchas
2020 – Valentina Franco and Alex Kelch
2022 – Joshua Bowen and Analisa Gomez