Derek says he is proud of the hard work he has done to hone his skills in support of his Astros baseball team. In addition to playing catcher for the team that is a part of the Edinburg Parks and Recreation programs, he is also involved in Academic UIL, Destination Imagination, Robotics, and is an avid reader. He hopes to attend UTRGV and says robotics has him thinking about some sort of engineering program. Derek is an outstanding student who motivates his peers, both in and out of class. He is known to be responsible and reliable and someone who leads with positivity and enthusiasm. Derek is the son of Juan Abrego and Monica Gandaria.