Junior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High dedicates himself to public service
HIALEAH — Maurits Acosta is a student to be reckoned with.
"Students like Maurits don't come around too often as students that have the political awareness, the engagement the understanding of how things work in our community, our school system," said Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School Asst. Principal Lilibet Sosa. "It's interesting to see him blossom in the past three years."
Acosta is a junior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High, where he is the president of his class, vice president of the Miami-Dade County Public School District Student Government Association, a member of the National Honor Society, student advisor to the Town of Miami Lakes Education Task Force — and that is just the beginning of his resume.
"Recently, I was honored in Washington, D.C., as a 2024 Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year for the National PTA, which was a huge honor," Acosta said. "I'm also the student representative for [the] Miami-Dade Council of PTAs."
And as it that weren't enough, he has even one more labor of love.
"At the end of my freshman year, I started a passion project called Virtutem Populo, which means "power to the people" in Latin and a nonprofit," Acosta said. "The mission is to promote civic engagement and community involvement among youth in Miami-Dade."
Acosta was born in the Netherlands to Cuban parents and says it was when they moved to the U.S. that he discovered his passion to make a difference.
"I realized that no matter the age anyone could make a difference and I kind of thought that I needed to help other students do the same. And that's when I launched Virtutem Populo for students to get involved in government" said Acosta.
"I try to describe him as a unicorn I truly believe when I've had the opportunity to be his reference you don't find many students that have motivation to drive, not only internalize but has expressed it and successes with all the projects he didn't been involved with," said his teacher Rick Silberman.
And although Acosta has no problem speaking out, he admits it did not come easy.
"It definitely was hard in the beginning, getting adults to listen to us but that's why I think it's so important that adults open their doors and that's something that I always tell elected officials when I meet with them never underestimate the power and the ability that young folks have to make a difference," Acosta said.
Acosta is an incredible young man and a role model to many.
When he graduates next year, he will have taken over 12 AP classes and his associate degree from Miami Dade College. Although he does not know exactly what he wants to study, he says he will live a life dedicated to public service.
