Before James Asselin became a track star at De Anza College, he spent two and half years of his childhood in Lima, Peru with his mother.

Now a sophomore majoring in communications, Asselin speaks Spanish fluently. He said he learned to speak Spanish before attending school in Peru.

“I had the privilege to live in Lima,” said Asselin, who spent his second through fifth grade years in Peru. “My (childhood) had a lot of Spanish speaking influence on me.”

De Anza head coach Nick Mattis knows how dedicated his track star is on and off the track.

“He’s been a great leader for our team and you don’t ever have to worry about him,” Mattis said. “Outside of track, he is so involved with his church. He is also a positive influence on his teammates too.”

Sophomore hurdler Jacqueline Lamb, 19, kinesiology major, said Asselin is a motivating presence for the track team.

“(James) is the perfect guy for this team,” Lamb said. “A dedicated leader who is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

Asselin runs the most rigorous event for the De Anza track team: the decathlon, a sports contest which includes 10 different events. He said he likes the challenge of doing all the events in the decathlon.

“I have always felt as though I have been a good overall athlete but not great at any one specific sport or event,” Asselin said. “When I decided to come to De Anza, I told coach Mattis I was interested in competing in the decathlon. He has been supportive of me ever since.”

Church is an important part of Asselin’s life. He is a pastoral intern for his church, which he attends regularly while fulfilling his duties at school and track.

“I help out with the music at my church every two weeks of the month,” Asselin said. “I play guitar and sing while I lead the church in music.”

Asselin said his greatest inspiration is his dad.

“(My dad) grew up in a hard situation and to see where he has come from and the attitude he has on life makes me grateful of him,” Asselin said. “I can’t pinpoint a person and tell them they are a man, but my dad is a man.”

A hamstring injury has limited Asselin to only perform in throwing events this season, but his confidence isn’t wavering to compete in the event that he cracked the top 10 all-time performance list for
De Anza in 2013.

“I am working with our great athletic trainers to be healthy for my first decathlon on March 28 and 29 at American River College in Sacramento,” Asselin said. “So I can qualify for the NorCal Championships again (and) maybe later the state meet.”

Asselin’s goals this season include going to the state meet and trying to accomplish a better time for his decathlon contest, but he wants to leave a legacy for himself as a person not only here at De Anza but in life as well.

“I want to be an example to people,” Asselin said, “and be a person with integrity.”