Students who Shine: Samarah Denis excels at Stranahan High in Fort Lauderdale
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Samarah Denis is a senior at Stranahan High School and a participant in JROTC.
The 17-year-old teen is soft spoken -- some would say downright quiet, reserved or even shy -- but her uniform tells a different story. Her participation in the extracurricular activity has brought out a different side.
Samarah spent four years in the group at high school, where she started as an unassuming freshmen. She has thrived in the JROTC program.
Her teachers have seen the progression in her confidence.
"The level of maturity and the level of responsibility that she holds and displays on a daily basis in this class," said Scott Fiore, her Social Studies teacher. "That goes from everything from the way she carries herself to the way she interacts with other students the way she pays attention in class. She's not consumed with social media. She's not consumed with her phone."
Samarah is active in several student groups.
She is vice president of the group known as Mentoring Tomorrow's Leaders and a member of Women of Tomorrow.
She is a member of the Guardian Club, event coordinator for student government, takes part in CrimeWatch and volunteers for other activities.
Samarah has already enlisted in the Army National Guard program, completing a 10-week boot camp in Missouri, history that she shares with cadets in her school's ROTC program.
"Her peers look to her as a source of inspiration," said ROTC Master Marine instructor Capt. Ibn Taylor. "She's blazing a path so they go to her for all kinds of help, academically (and) personally."
As one of four kids of parents who immigrated to Florida from Haiti, she saw both of her parents working two or three jobs in order to provide for their children.
"They sacrificed so much for our family," said Samarah, who plans to attend Florida A&M University and enroll in its ROTC prorgram in order to become an officer.
She said she plans to ultimately become a nurse and work in a cardiology program.
