Angel Cano Turned Opportunity into a College Degree at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock
As Angel Cano prepares to walk across the commencement stage at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, he thinks back to a decision he made as a teenager in Cartagena, Colombia.
He was 16 when he left home, recruited to the United States to play baseball and pursue an education. It meant leaving behind family, familiarity and everything he had ever known.
In a new country, baseball was his one constant.
It became his balance, carrying him through the early years of adjustment 鈥� learning a new environment, building a new routine and figuring out life away from home. But Cano understood this was more than a chance to play college baseball in the United States. It was an opportunity to earn a degree.
Cano is graduating with a degree in criminal justice, a career path he plans to pursue when his playing days are over.
鈥淚 know there will be life after baseball,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he reason I chose criminal justice is I鈥檝e always been fascinated with how law and the process of law works. And I have a lot of respect for law enforcement and what they do.鈥�
Baseball opened the door for Cano, but his education will carry him forward long after his playing days.
鈥淚 always know baseball isn鈥檛 going to be everything,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淚 came to the United States when I was 16 because of baseball, and I鈥檓 still doing what I love. But the reality is, if I would鈥檝e stayed in Colombia, this probably wouldn鈥檛 have happened.鈥�
Cano came to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock as a transfer student-athlete from Western Oklahoma State University. As a Trojan, he鈥檚 continuing to build on the foundation he laid for himself since he began playing the sport. Since his arrival in the U.S., he鈥檚 spent time learning how to adjust to the changes. But baseball was familiar and kept him focused. Over the past two seasons, he has become a steady presence for the Trojans, taking on a larger role in 2025 despite missing time due to injury. This season, he鈥檚 playing a major role, hitting .321 with 52 hits and seven home runs across 42 games, providing a reliable, steady presence in the middle of the lineup while anchoring first base with a .985 fielding percentage.
That steadiness, he said, didn鈥檛 come from avoiding challenges, but from learning how to move through them. Moving away from his native country at 16 forced him to grow up quickly.
鈥淭he biggest challenge was being away from home,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had to grow up real fast. Colombia is a developing country, so coming here and seeing all of this 鈥� it鈥檚 a dream for a lot of people. As long as you put in the work, it鈥檚 a dream that could last forever.鈥�
Over time, that perspective shaped how he approaches everything around him. Baseball, school, and daily life all require the same mindset: adjust, reset, and keep moving forward.
鈥淚鈥檓 a baseball player, and that鈥檚 my mindset in class,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淚 view everything as a challenge that I have to solve.鈥�
Baseball, he said, has shaped how he handles challenges when they come.
鈥淏aseball taught me endurance and patience with challenges,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 struggling with an assignment, I have to figure out the best way to get out of it. It made me a critical thinker.鈥�
That鈥檚 also how Cano views leadership: not in speeches or titles, but in how a team responds when things don鈥檛 go perfectly.
鈥淓veryone will have a bad day, and it鈥檚 up to your team to pick you up when you do,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he team is most successful when everyone can step up for each other.鈥�
During the thrilling 2025 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, Cano put together the best stretch of his college career. Over five games, he had 10 hits, four home runs, and drove in 15 runs, earning Most Valuable Player honors. He homered in three straight games, including a two-run shot in the second inning against host and top-ranked LSU that helped spark Little Rock鈥檚 regional semifinal win. That swing later earned Play of the Year at the Trojan TOP Awards, where Cano was also named Baseball MVP.
As graduation approaches, Cano said he is aware of how far he has come 鈥� and how many people back home are part of that journey with him.
鈥淭his is the dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o matter why you鈥檙e here, this is the dream 鈥� to do it in the United States.鈥�
For him, that dream has meant responsibility, change, and growth, but also gratitude.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cool for the experience of another country and the environment,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淏ut you still have to take care of school. It鈥檚 why you鈥檙e here. For my family and friends back home, this is everything to them for me to be doing this, and I don鈥檛 take it for granted.鈥�