Nicholas Dworet

Nicholas Paul Dworet was many things: a senior committed to the University of Indianapolis, the university of his dreams; the swim team captain of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School; a loving boyfriend, a compassionate friend and a cherished son. However, one prominent title remains, and it is that Nick was a member of the Eagle family.

Nick spent his high school years leading the MSD men’s swim team and being involved in challenging Advanced Placement and honors courses the school had to offer. He was a brilliant and athletic Eagle, as his teammates and classmates would describe him.

As a child, Nick was always the easygoing kid whose parents were able to take anywhere without a tantrum. His laid-back personality was a trait he held onto growing up, which allowed him to be easily liked and loved by all those around him.

“He was a happy, smiley child. He was a very easy child, and we could take him anywhere,” Nick’s mother Annika Dworet said. “We really didn’t change our lives because he was such an easy baby.”

Nick had an unparalleled ability to tell stories without ceasing — a characteristic that his parents cherished. His intelligence shined at a young age, as he learned how to swim at 18 months old; to pronounce the name of the Hawaiian state fish, humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, and held engaging conversations with his mother about psychology and medicine. He was a jack of all trades when it came to sports and personal interactions. He came to love any competitive activity whether it be go-karting in Sweden to playing waterpolo and swimming for MSD. He also enjoyed watching motorcycle racing with his grandfather in Sweden over the summers.

“He was willing to try anything.

Life will rarely go the way you expect it to go; all you can do is hope for the best and be happy with what you get, and all I know is that I am.

There’s this special fish in Sweden, surströmming, and he was very adamant that we try this smelly fish this summer. Nobody would allow us to open the can in the house, so we had to go to the forest to open the can,” Annika Dworet said. “So Nicholas would be the one to open the can, and nobody tried it.”

Nick’s parents describe him as a kid who always stayed the same thoughtful, caring and friendly boy he always was. His parents rarely yelled at him because he was a good son and brother, who was open-minded in every situation.

“I love hugging him, jumping in bed and cuddling. He was becoming an 18-year-old, but still [he was] very approachable and thoughtful. Nick was an empathetic guy,” Nick’s father Mitchell Dworet said.

Nick loved far and wide, which was evident in his actions, smiles and affection.

“He was a very lovable person. He would always say ‘I love you,’ hug you and kiss you,” Annika Dworet said. “In the swim club, he would also speak to the quiet kid, not just to the ones he was having fun with.”

In addition, Nick had a large appetite for new, delicious foods — something his family and friends remember quite fondly of him. He would go out of his way to discover new restaurants and shops in the area to take his girlfriend, Daria Chiarella, and brother, Alexander Dworet, to.

“Favorite foods ran the gamut,” Mitchell Dworet said. “He loved sushi buffets — Santos was his favorite, the Asian ice cream mochi, and he brought us to Fyr & Ice recently. He loved Blaze Pizza, bubble tea and all that stuff. He was a very adventurous eater.”

Beyond high school, Nick had aspirations to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo for Sweden. He was a determined and successful student-athlete who spent much of his time balancing academics with leading swim practice and creating goals that he would post on the walls of his room. His goal-driven characteristics allowed him to achieve scholarships and even an offer to swim for the University of Indianapolis.

“Nick was determined and very hardworking; he was a role model to me because when he put his mind on something, he would always achieve it. He would always push everyone to their full potential and ability,” MSD swim team member Guillermo Barrios said. “He never complained when he had a hard practice or a hard test; he would instead make sure to train harder or study harder so the next time he’s ready for another challenge.”

In Nick’s room, his most recent inspirational quote on his whiteboard was one that summarized Nick as a person from American motivational speaker Eric Thomas: “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.”

Nick met with one of his role models, Olympic gold medalist Sarah Sjöström, at the Swedish Nationals for swimming over the summer of 2017. She followed the Valentine’s Day incident with a post on Instagram sharing a picture of her and Nick together, along with a screenshot of the headline of the Florida shooting in Swedish news.

“I have no words!! My thoughts and condolences go to Nicholas Dworet’s family and friends,” Sjöström said in her Instagram caption on Feb. 16.

Nick’s teammates describe him as someone who kept swimming, even when it was challenging to beat his own record, or if it seemed repetitive. His love for the sport was something he wanted to share with his teammates, and so he pushed his peers to train and even caused some of them to develop a love of the sport.

“He fell in love with the sport, and he made sure that all of his teammates did as well. He was a true leader and captain for the swim team, he was the one that made sure that every single one of the swimmers left everything they had in their races as he did himself,” Barrios said. “He truly was the one to look up to in the team.”

Nick lived up to his title as swim team captain, as he was both a district and regional champion who achieved fifth place in November at the Class 4A state swimming and diving championships for the 100-yard freestyle, setting a personal record of 46.53 seconds.

“I used to look up to him,” MSD swim team member Patrick Franzino said. “When I first came here, he was the fastest swimmer, and every time he lapped me, he would say ‘that’s okay bud.’ He’s always motivated me to become a better person and swimmer.”

Nick was a lighthearted young man who used his passion for all sorts of music to create a friendly, playful ambiance on the bus rides to and from swim meets.

“He was always the bus DJ when we would go to and from meets. He would blast his playlist throughout the bus,” sophomore Katrina White said.

His family describes him as a person who found joy in all aspects of life, as he would enjoy blasting loud music in the shower and in the car, going on outdoor runs, getting ice cream with his brother and father and indulging in one of his favorite treats: Oreos.

“His hobbies include eating Oreos, swimming, swimming, swimming and always smiling; literally, he couldn’t stop grinning,” MSD swim team member Cody Chin said.

Nick kept a secret supply of Oreos in his room, some of which were even limited edition flavored Oreos. He treasured the snack and hid them in his room because his parents were not big fans of the sweet. “He had a secret Oreo stash,” MSD swim team member Justin Irwin said. “He collected different kinds of Oreo flavors, and his parents didn’t really like junk food that much, but he had all the flavors hidden in there.”

Nick was also a fan of the clothing brand Supreme, often purchasing trendy Supreme clothing and items from other clothing brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, H&M and Lululemon Athletica for men.

“He was very into the Supreme brand. He got a lot of their stuff,” Irwin said. “In my car, the sun visor’s broken, and it’s not worth it to fix it to me, so I have a chopstick holding it up, but he got in my car one day and knocked the chopstick down, and he kept telling me from that day on that he was going to get me a Supreme chopstick so my car can be styling.”

Nick enjoyed traveling as well, especially making trips to Sweden to visit his beloved aunts, uncles and grandparents, who he called “MorFar” and “MorMor.” According to his family, he was eager to learn the Swedish language and culture, as he was very proud of his heritage.

His last time in Sweden in the summer of 2017 was a special one, since Nick was able to bring his long-term girlfriend along with his family to his country of origin.

His pictures on social media show how the two enjoyed their time in Europe and were able to spend every loving moment together home in Florida as well. His Instagram account also displays the competitions and achievements he has received, with captions giving thanks to the support from his girlfriend, family, coaches and friends.

His presence will be greatly missed, but his family and friends are grateful for the life and joy he gave for the 17, almost 18 years he was here. His birthday was nearing, and March 24 would have marked his first day as a legal adult.

“Life will rarely go the way you expect it to go; all you can do is hope for the best and be happy with what you get, and all I know is that I am,” Nick wrote in his conclusion for a recent English essay assignment.

“Keep on keeping on” is a quote underlined by Nick in the most recent book that he read, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Even in his absence, he is able to inspire and motivate others through his legacy. His final notes remind the MSD community and family that this tragedy and the loss of these strong Eagles will not stop positivity, passion and unity from rising up again. Story by Christy Ma; photos courtesy of Annika and Mitchell Dworet