Alumni Spotlight: Amiri Baraka

A Phoenix Always Rises! 

By: Dominique Joseph 

University High School is known for its outstanding academics and sports, but the successfulness of its alumni is completely overlooked.

After high school, everyone wants to be the best they can be, but do not want to put in the work to get where they need to be. The laziness begins to increase, while the hunger for success decreases. A school provides you with the education and the information that you need and it is up to you to decide what you will do with it-- University High School is such a school.

Outsiders may look at us inner city students, especially those of us from Newark, and think that we’re just in school because and our parents want us to be. At University High, this is clearly not the case.

I had the pleasure to sit down for a one on one with Amiri Baraka aka Middy (son of poet famous Amiri Baraka) on his journey at University beyond. Baraka graduated from University at the top of his class. Little did he know that was just the start of his greatness.

Baraka admits that his fondest high school memory was on graduation day when he, insolently, walked across the stage and was handed his diploma. This isn’t even the best part of this story.

Posterior to Baraka’s high school graduation, he obtained the information that he was accepted Howard University in Washington DC. Being accepted to Howard University is definitely worth bragging about. With Howard being a very competitive school, Baraka admits that he was genuinely prepared for the task.

He stated that University provided him with courses, that most public schools did not offer, which gave him the knowledge that he knew would help him prosper at the college level.

Baraka remained focused throughout college, where, four years later, he would graduate with honors.

A few years after college, he became the Mayor’s Chief of Staff if his hometown, Newark, NJ, which is a very notable achievement. The job comes with a lot of hard work, but this won’t stop Baraka from doing his job to the best of his ability.

Not only is he the Chief of Staff, but he is the coach of the Girls Varsity basketball team at University where he has guided young talented girls, such as myself, to a State Championship in 2016-- I’m certain there will be more to come.

Baraka greatly appreciates his job and being the coach of the basketball team at a school where he once attended. His advice to current students at University is to “take not just one, but every single class seriously and to prepare yourself for the worse.”