Florida

MAST@FIU Giving Students a New Opportunity

With only 185 students, MAST@FIU is small, but has the potential to make a huge impact.

"People are gonna be fighting over this in terms of trying to get into this school," said Dr. Matthew Welker, principal of the new school.

Welker said the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at FIU, the school’s full name, is the only university-based high school in Florida, giving its students unique opportunities.

"I wake up every morning, I have goose bumps because I have an opportunity to see my students interacting every day with their college professors, their teachers, it's an exceptional environment," Welker said.

MAST@FIU opened last year. It has room for 500 students when it eventually reaches full capacity. Unlike the School for Advanced Studies, or SAS, which has a similar concept but is limited to juniors and seniors, MAST@FIU is a full freshmen-through-senior experience.

"It's a different school. I will tell you it's not for everybody, but if you want to come here to succeed in life and have an opportunity in life; this is the school to come," said student Eli Sosa.

NBC 6’s Ari Odzer watched 10th graders from an environmental science class testing water in a man-made pond and a mangrove swamp right outside their classroom door on the FIU-Biscayne Bay Campus. They use the campus as their own outdoor classroom, and next year, they can begin to take college courses there as well.

"If you're willing to work hard and succeed, than I think this is a great school for you," said Christina Bordeaux, who wants to become a doctor one day.

The idea at MAST@FIU is to get a high school diploma and a two-year college degree at the same time.

"The good news is we paid for everything, we pay for the books, the tuition and any other essentials that they need to pursue their college work while they're here," said Welker.

So when they finish at the school; the students will be ready to hit the ground running at any four-year college. They can take a full array of AP high school classes in addition to college courses. There's also a plan to build a free-standing building for MAST@FIU on what is now a gravel parking lot on campus.

As a magnet school, MAST@FIU is open to any student in Miami-Dade County who qualifies and is selected for admission. What kind of kid would thrive there?

"If you've got a student who's advanced in math and science; who has a keen interest in one of the STEM fields, whether it's medicine, engineering, science or research; this is the best opportunity," said Welker, clearly enthused by the potential of his school to transform lives.

If you're interested in getting your child into MAST@FIU, make sure he or she takes Algebra 1 and Advanced Physical Science in 8th grade. Both are prerequisites for admission.

Contact Us