Danny Barajas learned how to work as a Royal wrestler

ROYAL CITY - Danny Barajas, well known for his athletic exploits on behalf of Royal High School, was among the students graduating from Perry Technical Institute on June 18.

Barajas graduated from the Electrical Technology Program. He is now employed at Takata Corporation in Moses Lake, which manufactures safety airbags for cars. He lives about 10 minutes west of Royal City along Highway 26.

"I love Royal City. That's why I came back to the area," he said.

Barajas is a technician at Takata, responsible for the smooth running of the machinery, whether it be an electrical, mechanical or hydraulic problem.

"I'm learning new things on the job," he said. "They hired me because they liked my training in electrical."

Barajas is a 2012 graduate of Royal High. He wrestled four years for the Knights, taking 5th at state at 112 pounds as a freshman, 5th at state at 119 as a sophomore, 1st at state at 119 as a junior and 4th at state at 132 as a senior.

Accomplishing all of that success required a lot of work during the season and the off-season. Barajas still recalls those days of bumps and bruises and pulled muscles and pain.

He needed that memory at times while attending Perry Tech. There was no off-season. He had to study two full years, with only two weeks off each summer, to get his degree.

School was a struggle for Barajas. He had family responsibilities when he decided to go to Perry. His girlfriend Brittany, who is now his wife, lived with him.

Barajas started his post-secondary life thinking he wanted to work on a farm. He had done that as a kid on weekends and summers. So, after high school, he did orchard and field work for about two years for two different growers.

Barajas found that he still enjoyed the work and the outdoors, but he also learned that a farm worker's income will not pay for the lifestyle he desires for him and his wife.

"If they paid me what I'm getting paid now, I would have stayed on the farm," he said.

The moment Barajas decided he needed a bigger income, he picked up the phone and called Perry Technical Institute of Yakima. It is a private, non-profit educational institution which offers 10 specialized technical training programs.

Perry Tech emailed Barajas that day. Barajas read the material and immediately called Perry Tech from where he was working. He went to Yakima for a tour of the school, learned about the programs available and signed up for electrical technology.

Going back to school was rough financially. Barajas and Brittany struggled to pay the bills while maintaining a home in Selah. There was student aid, but it was not enough to cover the $40,000 cost of two years at Perry.

Brittany worked for a while, and that helped. But she became pregnant. After a while she had to quit working.

Barajas got a second job on weekends. He went to school a full day then to work from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. pulling cable for Future Link. On weekends he was a gardener for Cascade Gardening.

Barajas kept telling himself: "I already started this. I'm going to finish it."

When he needed a break from it all, Barajas turned to wrestling. He dropped in on Selah High School's coaches and helped train Viking wrestlers.

"I even coached at some of the meets," he said.

Besides his wrestling experiences, another thing that got Barajas through to the degree was family - his and Brittany's. Family members helped any way they could.

"Brittany was understanding," Barajas said. "When she worked, she did it without complaint, and she didn't complain about not having money for fun things. She understood the sacrifice that was required."

Like everyone else, Barajas would consider offers from faraway places, but he really doesn't see himself moving from this area.

"I want to stay close to mom and family," he said.

And maybe the Royal High wrestling program.