To some people a piece of jewelry is a knick knack or something with little to no value. However,  a ring that commemorates the best years of your teen life can mean the world, especially after losing it for 26 years. 

Jose M. Pazos, Class of 1995 at ILS lost his ring on a ski trip to California in 1996, yet 26 years later, someone found the ring while hiking and after some digging, got it back to ILS.

1995 feels far away and with time, things changed. What we know now as an everyday campus is now mesmerizing to those who had less in the past. 

“ILS was in a moment of transition. The courtyard had two old wooden sheds with weight training equipment. That was our gym. Where the gym is now we had a shower room / locker room like the ones in the the old movies. By the time I graduated in 1995, the sheds were gone and replaced by a beautiful white statue of the Blessed Mother that survived Hurricane Andrew untouched and the shower room was replaced by the brand new Don Bosco Gym where my class played its first game and held its first Mass,” said Mr. Pazos.

It was then, his junior/ senior year, that he received his ring and held it closely… at least for some time. 

 Mr. Pazos lost the ring in L.A. with another ILS grad,Michael Hernandez. His friend knew he had never seen snow, so they went to the top of Angeles Crest and although it was 70 degrees in the city, for some reason  there was snow on the mountain. “We decided to take the car mats from the Mustang we were in and use them as sleds. I guess my hand went numb in the process of sledding down and my ring slipped off. This was in 1996,” said Pazos.

Like a needle in a haystack, finding a 2 cm ring in the middle of the foot deep snow was a near impossible task.

Was it really something to look for? Is a class ring even worth it? To him, it was. “It was very special. I was not the best student. I had to work twice as hard as everyone else to survive. I had ADHD and it was difficult to learn. Despite that, Father Patrick Angelucci, my Principal at the time, told all of us on many occasions that ‘C students run the world.’”

 As a now successful man, he realizes this is a true statement.

The ring was returned by a retired L.A. firefighter who found it outside of his house in the valley. Sounds like a miracle, right? Not only did he find it after 26 years, but he also found Mr. Pazos and the Immaculata-La Salle through a story online about the statue of the Blessed Mother being untouched after having endured Hurricane Andrew.  

“He contacted Mr & Mrs Crotty (who were my teachers)  and they contacted me. It was the beginning of COVID and we could not meet up. The Crottys left and the ring was lost once again. While cleaning out the offices, the amazing staff found the ring yet again a year later and called me up. I received the ring at my alma mater and was invited to have lunch with you and my wife. This was very emotional since I was able to show my wife ILS. I was so proud to see that today’s Royals are keeping our Salesian tradition alive.”

A few weeks after receiving the ring, Local 10 news reporter, Liane Morejon, class of 2004, covered a meeting between Mr. Pazos and the ring hero that brought Mr. Pazos to tears.

Like any nostalgic moment, coming back to his alma mater and holding the ring in his hands once again, lit sparks in his eyes.

“I was numb. I cried. I was very humbled. I know that our Blessed Mother and all of the angels and Saints interceded for that ring to have been delivered to me. I know this because one of the 15 promises our Lady’s Holy Rosary is that she will grant us anything we ask so long as it does not interfere with her Divine Son’s will,” he said.

Like a true Salesian at heart, Mr. Pazos leaves ILS once again happy he has found his place of joy.