Jeremiah Deshazo is an 18-year-old senior who has dedicated his time to the Frederick Douglass High School Athletic Program while maintaining a 'B' average. During the earlier part of the year, I was made aware of Jeremiah's living situation. Jeremiah had been living in a homeless shelter for 18 months. Jeremiah never told anyone about his living conditions until October, when a guidance counselor made a home visit after trying to get into contact with him. Jeremiah has been accepted to Tuskegee University as well as Alabama A&M. Jeremiah participated in football, wrestling and lacrosse. Jeremiah is also a member of the Student Government Association at Frederick Douglass High School. -Frederick Douglass athletic director, Tina Queen, on Jeremiah Deshazo.
When Jeremiah Deshazo walked acrosse the stage and accpeted his diploma for graduation from Frederick Douglass High School principal, Clark Montgomery, the crowd that crammed into the auditorium at Coppin State University -- many of them, DeShazo's student peers -- erupted into screaming cheers and applause.
And none among the many were cheering louder than those whom Deshazo collectively calls "The Powerful Women In My Life."
That group is comprised of Deshazo's mother, Grace Deshazo -- who raised her son as a single-parent since his father's death when he was just 6 years old -- and Deshazo's three aunts, Alice and Rosetta Deshazo as well as Mary Mackel.
"My son, Jeremiah Deshazo, is a well-mannered, respected young man. He has worked very, very hard, and he's a serious young man. And whatever he does, he puts his true heart into it, all the way. I'm very proud of him," said Grace Deshazo, whose son, a star athlete in football, wrestling and lacrosse, is Baltimore City's male winner of DigitalSports' Applause Scholarship for the fall.
The DigitalSports Applause Scholarship is awarded in the amount of $500 toward the college education of an outstanding senior student-athlete who has exhibited great courage in overcoming adversity in order to make a positive contribution to his or her team.
DigitalSports awards six such Applause Scholarships over the course of every year -- one each to the male and female from each of the Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County territories covered by our media organization.
Similarly, one male from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, and one female from the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland will be honored during each of the three sports' seasons on a yearly basis.
"My son has gone through a lot. At one time, we were homeless, and we lived in transitional housing. His sister, she was on life-support. He almost lost his sister. And just with me being a single-parent. His father died when he was 6, so I had to raise him on my own," said Grace Deshazo.
"I couldn't be there all of the time that I wanted to. I had a night-shift job for 10 and a half years. But through all of that, I always told my son, 'work hard, study hard,' and that's what he did," said Grace Deshazo. "Through all of this adversity, he had a goal, and a vision, and he's working toward that, and I'm very proud of him."
Alice Deshazo, who is deaf, said she tried to be an example to her nephew of how to overcome obstacles in his own life as she has in hers.
"I'm profoundly deaf at this point. I'm a teacher here in Baltimore City. I've been teaching for almost 30 years. In the time that Jeremiah's been in my life, I feel that the inspiration came when I was determined to be successful here in Baltimore City," said Alice Deshazo.
"I'm tied into my family. I love my family. I'm there to support Jeremiah whenever needed. So that's why I maintain myself in a hearing world with hearing people. I talk in sign language because I know that it will motivate others to communicate," said Alice Deshazo.
"In Jeremiah's life, he was really inspired by sign language but as he grew older, he found his own direction and his own path, and his own enthusiasm and desire to learn and to grow," said Alice Deshazo.
"As a teacher, I do recall a number of times just telling him that what he's doing has to be better, and that his work has to be better," said Alice Deshazo. "Jeremiah grew up without a natural father, so sometimes, the aunts and the uncles in the family played both roles for him."
Mackel said "today, it just brought tears to my eyes just to see what he has accomplished."
"With all of the odds that he has had to endure, he had the strength from within to accomplsh these things, and we are just so excited and proud of him," Mackel said. "And we know that he is going to be great because he's always had that, kind of like a twinkle in his eye and ambition to do better. We can see it, and we know that he will."
Deshazo will attend the Alabama A&M University, where he will major in business administration and minor in economics.
"The single most important factor, and I don't want to boast, but it's maybe my perserverance. Things were tough, but I jusut tried to focus," said DeShazo, who was also accepted to Tuskegee University.
"I took some tough classes," DeShazo said. "I'm not really that good at math, but everything else, I think I did pretty well, so I think it's just perserverance."
DeShazo said he will be on the campus of Alabama A&M for a tour on June 26, with plans to begin classes there on Aug. 9.
"I just want to say thank you for giving me this opportunity, and for the Applause Scholarship," DeShazo said. "And I want to say, 'yeah, Douglass, 2008.'"
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