WASHINGTON — For some kids, attending college is an expectation, a foregone conclusion, barring extraordinary circumstances. But when you’re an adolescent just becoming aware of your family’s status in society and you find yourself living at a homeless shelter, college can seem like an unattainable fantasy.
That’s the situation into which Robert Morina was thrust in eighth grade, his single father on disability, trying to raise Robert and his younger brother. By the time Morina enrolled at Eastern High School a few blocks away from D.C. General, he knew if he was going to find a better life for himself, he was going to have to pour everything into working for it.
“Knowing what my father was going through, I knew I needed to support him,” Morina told WTOP.
Football, a sport neither he nor anyone in his family had played, became an avenue to connect with his peers and give himself a way to belong. Self-described as anti-social, Morina threw himself into both athletics and church activities, racking up a laundry list of positions at the Young People’s Department of the Pilgrim African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was pushed to volunteer, and once he started, he never stopped.
He’s done work for Sons of Allen’s Men’s Ministry Food Pantry Distributions, packing up food for the needy. He’s helped the Takin’ it to the Street Projects for the Homeless, the Shepherd Park Kiwanis and the SHARE Warehouse, an affordable food program. While many teens put in time volunteering, it’s safe to say few understood the value of their particular work as much as Morina.
“It helped me be more connected to people,” he said.
On the football field, as the center and long-snapper, he grew into his own and was named captain his senior year. Between sports and his extracurricular activities, filling every moment of the day kept him laser focused, full steam ahead toward his goal of going to college.
“It was all of it,” he said of his motivation.
Morina recently got an assist toward his dream in the form of a DCSAA Student-Athlete Academic Scholarship, as he became one of 16 District students to earn $1,000 toward his studies. It’s the third year of the partnership between DCSAA, Wendy’s and Modell’s Sporting Goods, who have teamed up to give a total of 53 such scholarships.
But despite a 3.66 GPA, Morina has one more hurdle to clear to actually get himself to college. He’s been accepted to Morgan State’s Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) Academy, an academic transition program designed to help ready graduating seniors for the rigors of the next level. If he completes that, he’ll be enrolled at Morgan State in the fall, where he hopes to major in computer science.
Morina seems to know that even if he completes the program, he won’t be crossing a finish line as much as starting a new race. He’s unsure if he’ll try to walk on to the football team yet, but whether he plays in college or not, Morina’s story serves as a reminder of the value of youth sports, including football, amid the risks. And he’s determined to succeed at whatever he does the same way he got where he is today.
“Just stay focused on my work,” he said. “I’ll look back on what I’ve done and never stop working hard.”
