DeSoto Young Man of the Year 2018 Magazine

2018 YOUNG MEN OF THE YEAR

H ONORIN G DES OTO I SD ’ S STA N DOU T YO UNG GE NT LEMEN

RICKY

MATHIS

SP RING 2 0 1 8

D E S OTO I S D C E L E B R AT E S OUR

YOUNG

MEN

WHO’VE

DONE

REMARKABLE

T H I N G S , S TA N D O U T I N A C R O W D, A N D A R E T H E FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

IN OUR INAUGURAL YEAR, WE HAVE SELECTED

F R O M N O M I N AT I O N S S I X D E S OTO H I G H S C H O O L MEN WHO EMBODY THE ARE BLAZING TRAILS AND THREE

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

STUDENTS

R I S I N G STA R S .

WHO

ARE

rising star awards McCowan Middle School

Ac tiv ities: Tennis, Ma le Lea de r sh ip Ma g net Co l l e ge: Sta nford Ca re er : Com p uter S o ftw a re Eng ineer

JUSTUS bedford

JAYDEN smith

A ct i v i t i e s : N J H S , Track Team Co l l e ge : TC U, Duke Ca re e r : Comp ut e r S o ft w are E ng i ne e r

KALEB wilkes

East Middle School

A c ti v i ti e s : B a n d - Tr u m pe t Co l l e g e : M i a m i U. Ca re e r : N e u ro s u rg e o n

West Middle School

RASAAN

HATCHER

meet rasaan Senior Cla ss Presid en t Ras aan H atc h e r, 6 th i n h i s c l as s , i s a member o f Nat ion a l a n d S pan i s h H o no r S o c i e ti e s , an d i s a member o f Ma rch in g Ba n d - D r um M ajo r ( 2 y ear s ) ; H atc he r ea rned a TC U com m u n it y s c h o l ar s h i p and pl an s to majo r i n politic a l sc ien ce a n d b u si n e s s manag e me nt. I n h i s s pare t i m e , Rasa a n is a n a ssist a n t coac h f o r th e D e S o to Ti g e r s s o c c e r t ea m , i s a DeS oto I SD b oa rd f ell o w, an d i n te r ns w i th th e D al l as Democrats. H e st riv es t o be a po s i ti v e i n fl ue n c e o n h i s s i bl i n g s and p eers.

what they’re saying...

“ R A S A A N H ATC H E R E X E M P L I F I E S E X C E L L E N C E . H E W A L K S T H E H A L L S

WITH CONFIDENCE AND GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND IN EVERYTHING

H E D O E S . A L S O , H E D E E P LY C A R E S A B O U T D E S O T O H I G H S C H O O L

A N D A C T I V E LY F I N D S W AY S T O M A K E T H E S C H O O L B E T T E R F O R A L L .”

MICHAEL

CHIOMA

meet michael Junior Mic h a el C h iom a p l an s to atte nd Prai r i e Vi e w A & M a n d ea rn a busin ess d egree b e f o re mo v i n g to N e w Yo r k to pu r s u e a career in fa sh ion d esign a n d mo d e l i ng . H i s pare n ts are h i s greatest infl u en ces a n d en c o urag e h i m to f o l l o w h i s d rea m s .

what they’re saying...

“MICHAEL CHIOMA COMES TO SCHOOL GROOMED UP AND DRESSED T O I M P R E S S .”

KELVIN

GRAY, II

meet kelvin Senior Kelv in G ra y’s t a le nt re pe rto i re i n c l ud e s ac ti ng , s i n g i n g , music, da n cin g, a n d d ra w i ng . H e i s a me mb e r o f th e Eag l e M e n s C hoir, Nation a l H on or a n d S pani s h s o c i e ti e s . Ke l v i n a TC U Co m munity Sch ola rs sch ola r s h i p an d pl ans to majo r i n g ra p hi c desig n. Gra y is a lso a p a rt o f th e Ste v e H ar v e y M e nto r i n g p ro g ra m a n d is a Collegiate M ag ne t Pro g ram v o l u nte e r.

what they’re saying... “ F R O M T H E M O M E N T I M E T K E LV I N G R AY, H E E X U D E D C L A S S A N D A R E G A L P E R S O N A L I T Y. N E V E R B O A S T F U L , H U M B L E A N D S O M U C H

TA L E N T. A S A A PA R T I C I PA N T O F O U R M E N T O R I N G P R O G R A M , H E E X PRESSED NEEDED

AN

FOR

EAGER HIS

EAR

TO

LISTEN

JOURNEY THROUGH

AND

ABSORB

THE

M A N H O O D. A S

A

TOOLS

JUNIOR

CO U N S E LO R , H E H A S P R OV E N TO B E A L E A D E R . K E LV I N ’ S A RT I S N OT O N LY S E E N T H R O U G H T H E P E R S O N A L A R T W O R K H E C R E AT E D F O R

F E L LO W S E N I O R S ’ PA R K I N G S PAC E S , H I S M E LO D I C S I N G I N G V O I C E , NOR HIS FINE ACTING SKILLS. FOR SOMEONE AS GIFTED AND INTEL-

L I G E N T A S K E LV I N , I T WO U L D B E E A SY F O R H I M TO M I M I C OT H E R S .

H O W E V E R , T H AT I S E X A C T LY W H Y K E L V I N I S D E S E R V I N G T O B E S E L E C T E D F O R YO U N G M A N O F T H E Y E A R F O R M O ST C R E AT I V E / A R T I S -

T I C ; B E C A U S E H E I S C O N S I S T E N T LY C R E AT I N G H I S O W N S T Y L E , H I S O W N B R A N D.”

JARIUS

HICKLEN

meet jarius J unior Jar iu s H icklen is a s tan d o u t b as ke tb al l pl ay e r a n d t ra c k s tar in the lon g j u m p, t ri pl e jump, 4 0 0 m and 8 0 0 m. H o p i n g t o pursue a n NBA ca reer, h e pl an s to majo r i n ath l e ti c trai n i n g / k i n e s i olog y wh ile p la y in g in co l l e g e , and c o nti nue v o l unte e r i n g i n h i s c o mmu ni ty.

what they’re saying...

“J A R I U S I S A N E X T R E M E L Y H A R D W O R K E R . I A M P R O U D O F T H E G O A L S A N D H I G H S T A N D A R D S H E H A S S E T F O R H I M S E L F. H E

EXEM-

P L I F I E S G R E AT C H A R A C T E R O N A N D O F F T H E B A S K E T B A L L C O U R T. H E I S C O M M I T T E D T O S P O R T S M A N S H I P, C H A R A C T E R , A N D C O M M U -

N I T Y T H R O U G H M E M B E R S H I P A N D PA R T I C I PAT I O N I N P O S I T I V E A C TIVITIES.

HE’S

DRIVEN,

I N T E L L I G E N T,

A

TEAM-FIRST

AT H L E T E .

S K I L L- W I S E H E S TA N D S H E A D A N D S H O U L D E R S A B O V E H I S T E A M M AT E S , C O M P E T I TO R S , Y E T H E P O S S E S S E S T H AT R A R E Q U A L I T Y TO

W O R K W I T H , A N D B R I N G O U T T H E B E S T I N P E O P L E H E P L AY S W I T H .

JARIUS

IS

R E C O G N I Z E D A S A H I G H - C H A R A C T E R AT H L E T E A N D A L E A D E R O N T H E T E A M .”

NICHOLAS

JONES

meet nicholas Junior Nich ola s Jon es ov e rc ame a n e c k M R I th at c h an g e d hi s footba ll c a reer. Now f ocu s i ng o n trac k and s c h o o l , h e p l a n s t o earn his la w d egree f ro m U T and b e c o me a l aw y e r. A C M P stude n t , h e cred it s h i s f ath e r and Co ac h Stan s b e r r y fo r in fl u en cin g h i s g ro w th as a pe r s o n .

what they’re saying...

“MR. NICHOLAS JONES IS A REMARKABLE YOUNG MAN. HE IS AND H A S A LW AY S B E E N A N H O N O R ST U D E N T I N D E S OTO I S D. A S A ST U -

D E N T I N T H E C O L L E G I AT E M A G N E T P R O G R A M H E W O R K S H A R D AT SECURING

HIS

DREAM

OF

BECOMING

A

UNIVERSITY

OF

TEXAS

LONGHORN. HE IS ACTIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH HE

LIVES, AND HE VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST DISABLED AND SENIOR CITIZ E N S I N T H E C R E E K T R E E N E I G H B O R H O O D. N I C K M E N TO R S A N D I N S P I R E S T H E YO U T H AT H I S C H U R C H B Y H I S O W N W O R D S A N D A C -

TIONS. AFTER RECEIVING A SERIOUS PROGNOSIS FROM AN MRI HE C O N T I N U E D TO I N S P I R E B OT H T H E C OA C H E S A N D AT H L E T E S O F T H E

D E S OTO F O OT B A L L P R O G R A M , B Y AT T E N D I N G E V E R Y G A M E L A S T S E A S O N . H E I S T H E E P I TO M E O F A S T U D E N T AT H L E T E W H O C H O O S ES

TO

OVERCOME,

R AT H E R

THAN

SUB-COME

TO

THE

CHAL-

L E N G E S / A D V E R S I T Y. H E H A S E A R N E D T H E N A M E “ C O A C H N I C K ” B Y

T H E F O O T B A L L C O A C H I N G S T A F F, A N D I S O N C E A G A I N A S T U D E N T AT H L E T E O N T H E T R A C K & F I E L D T E A M AT D E S OTO H I G H S C H O O L .

RICKY

MATHIS

meet ricky Senior R ic ky Mat h is p la n s to majo r i n b i o me d i c al e n g i n e e r i n g at M orehouse a n d con t in u e to g ro w as a l ead e r. H e i s me m be r o f M ath, Sp a n ish , a n d Nat ional H o n o r S o c i e ti e s , Ro b o ti c s C l u b, St u d ent Coun cil, Foot b a ll a nd B as ke tb al l teams , as w e l l as Pre s i de n t of Men t o r i n g w i th a Pur po s e .

what they’re saying... “ I K N O W R I C K Y T O B E A N E X T R E M E LY I N T E L L I G E N T A N D R E S O U R C E -

FUL PERSON WITH REMARKABLE INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY AND A N AT U R A L S E N S E O F P R O F E S S I O N A L I S M . H E E X H I B I T S M AT U R E J U D G -

M E N T, Q U I C K LY G R A S P S C O M P L E X P R O B L E M S , A N D H A S A R E A D Y DESIRE TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS AND MEET NEW CHALLENGES. HIS

W O R K E T H I C S U R PA S S E S A P E R F E C T 1 0 , B E C A U S E H E I S A LW AY S

C O M M I T T E D T O G O I N G A B O V E A N D B E Y O N D . I A M T H O R O U G H LY C O N F I D E N T T H AT H E W I L L S E R V E A S A S O U R C E O F I N S P I R AT I O N A N D G U I D A N C E T O Y O U R C O L L E G E C O M M U N I T Y.”

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