So there goes Demetrius Morrow, showing his friends a video on his phone, the whole group chuckling. No surprise, because wherever Demetrius is at Jose Marti MAST Academy in Hialeah, laughter follows.
“You should know when and when not to laugh, but I know I can make any situation fun, people are going through some things, sometimes they need a laugh, sometimes they just need a little joy in their lives so I want to bring that,” Demetrius said.
“He’s literally an inspiration to everybody, his best aspect, I honestly believe in Demetrius, is he just always wants to see everybody happy,” said fellow senior Reech Daniel.
Demetrius also wants to see A’s on his report card, and he gets a lot of them. He is one of the top students at an all-magnet, academic powerhouse high school.
“The opportunity to see his growth over time, not just physically but intellectually, has been remarkable,” said science teacher Andrew Kearns, who has taught Demetrius since freshman year.
When you look at him, you immediately think, Demetrius is a big guy, he should be playing football. Problem is, MAST doesn’t have athletics. There is no football team, but that didn’t stop Demetrius.
More Students Making a Difference
He played right guard, No. 51, for his home school, the Miami Central Senior High School Rockets. Demetrius was a standout player on a powerful team that won the state championship.
So this young man chose to go to MAST, way out of his way geographically, for the academics. Every day, he had to hustle over to Central after school for football practice. Demetrius is the definition of student-athlete.
“It’s really just having the passion for the sport and wanting to learn more in school, in education, I believe that if you really want to do something and you really have that in your heart and mind and you’re motivated to do it, that you’re gonna do it,” Demetrius said.
His friends call him a role model.
“Once he sets his mind to do something, he’s gonna see it come true, he really doesn’t take no for an answer and he’s really persistent,” said Indar Ramlal, a fellow senior.
Demetrius wanted more STEM courses than Central could offer. Playing football there was a huge time commitment, but also a character-builder.
“Every day was tough, it got tougher and tougher as the season went on, but that’s what made me who I am today,” Demetrius explained.
“And what’s really remarkable,” Kearns said, “is that Demetrius has not let that interfere with his academic success at all, there’s never an excuse.”
He wants to play college football and become an architect. Demetrius is building his future with attitude.
“Hard work is always, always, always greeted with rewards,” he said.
