Daisy Garcia Montoya
Education Reporter

Northeast charter school Ryogoku Soccer Academy, located at 606 Gladstone Blvd, officially has alumni. The school, which opened Fall 2021 with boys enrolled in grades 6-9th, welcomed its first two high school graduates in Ryogoku’s history. 

Carlos Michel Sanchez Gutierrez and Gloire Manase not only graduated but graduated early, finishing their courses over the winter and graduating in January 2026. 

Now the students, as alumni, are back in their old classrooms but this time as paid interns  helping the school and administrators in everyday tasks. 

Both graduates are preparing to attend the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) this fall and are using this internship as an opportunity to gain skills and experience to help them as they transition to the next step in their educational journey. 

With the plan to major in business and marketing, Manase’s internship role is catered around this interest, taking on the daily tasks as Ryogoku’s social media manager, creating posts and content for their social platforms. 

Manase, a Tanzania native and former James Elementary and Northeast Middle School student, said he began his journey at Ryogoku as a junior in high school after transferring from East High School. 

“It’s a different environment, it was very different coming here. Not just the soccer focus but what we do here with Missouri Green Schools like planting trees and helping out the community,” Manase said. 

With East High School averaging over 1000 students in total enrollment, Manase says that the small number of students at Ryogoku allowed for the teachers to be more accessible to students when help was needed. 

“It’s very different from different schools, it allows you to express yourself and gives you a way to build yourself into a person you’re going to be in the future. They give you the path to better yourself and become a better person,” Manase said.

Sanchez Gutierrez, who immigrated from Mexico less than four years ago, says that Ryogoku gave him a different perspective on how education could look like and allowed him a second opportunity to progress forward. 

Due to the learning styles and structure in Mexico, Sanchez Gutierrez says that he was very closed off to education and didn’t know other methods and approaches existed until he entered Ryogoku. As he joined Ryogoku, Sanchez Gutierrez noticed that there were many misconceptions of the school due to its soccer implementations. 

“When there’s something different and new, it takes time for people to wrap their heads around it. The school is different but it also helps you,” Sanchez Gutierrez said. “Many left this school because they said that no one would ever graduate from here and in the end, I may have had challenges but here I am graduated, with plans to start college in the fall.” 

As a Missouri Green School, a program for schools in Missouri that support sustainability practices, students participate in an array of projects to further cultivate a culture of eco-friendliness. From picking up trash around the neighborhood to creating art pieces with plastic and cans, students monitor their progress and look for solutions to eliminate waste to reach green outcomes. 

“Being part of the Missouri Green Schools program is also very different because looking for ways to be sustainable is part of our everyday routine here,” Sanchez Gutierrez said. “We began planting seeds and making green spaces around the school. It made us be more aware of our surroundings and the importance of taking care of spaces for ourselves, our community, and future generations.” 

In his intern role, Sanchez Gutierrez continues to help with the school’s facilities, assist with the toddlers soccer program and in providing support to current middle school students. 

“The transition from student to intern was interesting because one day I was laughing with my peers and the next I had these new responsibilities and had to be professional,” Sanchez Gutierrez said. “With the middle schoolers, I find my role as one where I can use my life experiences and try to give them advice and guidance and not make some of the mistakes I made.” 

Head of School Brad Leonard says that the internships at Ryogoku are helping the recent graduates to feel better prepared as they head off to college this fall. 

“We’re keeping them busy. They’re making money and they’re helping everyone,” Leonard said. “They’re helping their families, they’re also helping us and the students so it’s working great.” 

Leonard says that although both students were not traditional students, they’ve been able to overcome the challenges and have found the path forward to success. 

To continue to support students in their journey, Leonard is planning for these graduates to continue to have check-ins with Ryogoku as they head off to college so they can have a support system throughout their transition. 

“With a lower rate of retention for first generation students, we didn’t want to stop at high school and want to make sure they’re in good hands after leaving our school,” Leonard said.

As these Ryogoku graduates enjoy their last few months before the start of a new chapter, giving back and taking on new responsibilities at their old stomping grounds is allowing them to reflect on their time at the school and their path forward. 

“It can be difficult to accept that we can not go back in time to fix our errors, but you can do something about your future. That’s what I see here, a second opportunity. A second opportunity to get a good education, a better path and a better future,” Sanchez Gutierrez said. 

For more information on Ryogoku, visit: https://ryogokusocceracademy.org/