‘I see success’: Teens of color vow to write their own narrative at ’5000 Role Models’ event
Young men of color from schools in Miami-Dade and Duval counties have pledged that they will use the $2.7 million earned in scholarships to follow their dreams and go to college — the next step in their path toward defying stereotypes and writing their own narratives.
The dozens of high school graduates wore custom-made black suits, white shirts and bright red ties, making vows as their mentors and family members cheered during the 30th Annual 2023 Academic Signing Ceremony celebrated Sunday at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami.
The pledge is the last step of the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project, a program in which male mentors provide male high school graduates with alternatives that could lead them on the track of excellence. The project was founded in 1993 by U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, then a Miami-Dade County School Board member. Since 2011, the former teacher and school principal represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District, which includes parts of north Miami-Dade and south Broward counties.
Wilson said she is proud of the scholars, but that at the same time she is worried because they are being released to a world full of complexities, adventures and even danger.
“We are hoping that what they have experienced in the 5,000 Role Model of Excellence Project will keep them safe and will keep them on the track to greatness,” the congresswoman said.
By signing the pledge, the 49 Wilson Scholars promised to get a post-secondary education. In 2020, only about 18 percent of Black residents in Miami-Dade had at least a Bachelor’s degree while more than 50 percent of white, non-Hispanic residents had one.
Courtesy of a partnership with the Miami Dolphins, the graduates also received laptops to take with them when they begin attending classes.
The scholars have been admitted to several state universities such as Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, St. Thomas University, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Florida Memorial University, University of Miami and Bethune-Cookman University. Others are going to out-of-state colleges including Cornell University, Clark Atlanta University and Tennessee State University.
Kaleb Motely, a 2023 Wilson Scholar of Duval, gave a motivational speech to his peers. The teen said that despite society seeing young Black men as living paycheck to paycheck in single-parent households, he and many other teens like him don’t fit the stereotype.
“Unfortunately, that’s a label they put on us,” he told the crowd. “That’s what other see when they see us.”
The project, Kaleb said, gave them hope and the determination to do anything they set their minds to. After being accepted to 31 colleges, the 3.99 GPA graduate announced that he chose Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College .
Jalen Tanner, a graduate of Coral Reed Senior High, told the Miami Herald that the scholarship is an opportunity to take his education and track and field experience to the next level. The 17-year-old Homestead resident said he was “filled with joy” as he prepares to major in business at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.
“My parents worked hard and made sacrifices so now I’m going to be able to give back to them,” he said.
Oswaldo Chamorro, a graduate of Booker T. Washington Senior High School, said he felt inspired during the ceremony. The 17-year-old Little Havana resident said he will major in finance at Florida International University.
“It reminds you of the potential you have and what you can do with it to serve the community,” he said.
In a nation so divided, Chamorro said, the brotherhood he found at the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project will keep him and his peers united wherever life takes them.
“In this room, I see the future. In this room, I see success. In this room, I see persistence,” Motely said.
