“”Everyone Has a Story”” is a weekly segment in the Arizona Daily Wildcat that aims to tell the story of an interesting person on the UA campus. This week, the Daily Wildcat interviewed Kevin Wos, a political science junior with Asperger’s Syndrome, and top 20 Zona Zoo points earner.
Kevin Wos cannot get enough of the UA. But before he became a college student, Wos was raised in Oceanside, Calif.
“”I love being from Oceanside, but Tucson has been great to me as well,”” Wos said. “”As they say, Oceanside has five seasons: nice, nice, nice, fire and a little chilly.””
Wos’s early life was not out of the ordinary, but he remembers his middle school years as very challenging.
“”I have Asperger’s Syndrome, and that causes me to be somewhat socially awkward, and a lot of people at my junior high school picked on me,”” Wos said.
Wos recalls getting suspended for yelling at his harassers while he was playing baseball in P.E. class.
“”A lot of people didn’t like me, so they went to the vice principal and said I’d chased after them with a bat, and that didn’t happen,”” he said. “”I got mad at them, and I was holding a baseball bat because I was in class, but I never actually chased them.””
Wos had social conflicts until he went to La Costa Canyon High School.
“”It was a fresh start, and even though I remained a bit socially awkward, I found a rhythm that worked out for me,”” he said.
After three years on the speech and debate team, Wos felt he’d changed considerably and positively as a person. Wos also recalled going to school with former UA basketball forward Chase Budinger, although the two were not friends.
“”My mom worked at the school, so she had the chance to meet him,”” Wos said of Budinger. “”She did get his autograph once.””
Budinger’s decision to attend the UA influenced Wos to consider it as well.
“”I hadn’t heard about the UA before that, so I looked into it more, and it sounded interesting to me because I wanted a school with a balance of good academics and good sports, and Arizona turned out to be a perfect fit,”” Wos said.
Wos enjoyed high school until the start of his senior year, when his older brother died in a motorcycle accident.
“”I’d never really dealt with a death in the family before, so it was hard for me at that point in my life, especially since it took place at the beginning of my senior year, the big point of my high school career,”” Wos said.
Though Wos remembers struggling with the loss, he still managed to have a fulfilling final year in high school.
“”Most of my brother’s organs were donated to others, and I believe he would have been happy to help those people,”” Wos said. “”He did a lot of good, even after death.””
Several months after his brother’s passing, Wos found out he was accepted to the UA, the only school to which he applied.
“”It’s been an excellent ride,”” Wos said. “”I’ve had the time of my life here.””
Wos spends a lot of his time following UA sports. He frequents the Hot Corner, the UA baseball student section, attends as many football games as possible and watches UA basketball from the stands. Wos owns more than 25 different UA T-shirts to show his school spirit.
“”Going to sports games at this school has been a huge part of my life. I go to as much as I can,”” Wos said.
This year, Wos went to the athletics banquet as a result of being one of the top 20 Zona Zoo points earners.
“”Athletics have been a great thing for me. This university has an excellent athletics tradition,”” Wos said. “”I’m just a fan, I don’t have that much influence, but it’s become an important part of my life.””
Wos also keeps copies of the Daily Wildcat and Arizona Daily Star that have significant sport stories and event coverage, such as Nic Wise’s final basketball game and the end of “”The Streak,”” the 25 straight seasons the UA men’s basketball team made it to the NCAA Tournament.
“”I have a stack of papers that’s about a foot high that I am going to take home this summer,”” Wos said.
