 In
the Spotlight
Joanel Lopez
by Claudia L. Gordon
As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. This couldn’t be
truer for the humble, reserved and somewhat shy 19-year-old Joanel
Lopez. Lopez is a Lexington School for the Deaf graduating senior who
has his mind set on enrolling at Howard University in the fall. Peers
and teachers alike were taken aback by his admission into two very
prestigious institutions of higher learning – Howard University in
Washington D.C. and St. John’s University in Queens, New York City.
Only once before in the 140 years history of Lexington has a graduating
senior applied, got accepted and elected to enroll into Howard
University, a historically Black college.
Lopez was brought up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn by Rose Tertilus, his
single Haitian immigrant mother whom he credits with his appreciation
for hard work and high goals. “I will sweat all the time until I reach
my goals and become successful,” he said. Lopez is a firm believer in
the importance of education.
He said, “Without an education it will be very difficult to reach one’s
goals in life and to develop the necessary skills to succeed.”
When asked about his goals, he did not hesitate. “I want to study
politics and science in the goal to protect the environment.” He
openly expresses his childhood love for science, which continues today.
“I’ve always been skilled in science,” he noted. As for his concerns
about the environment, he reflected on the deterioration of his own
Brooklyn neighborhood as an illustration and went on to say “it’s very
unhealthy out there.” Lopez would like to master the understanding and
the skills needed to protect the environment through government and
politics.
Lopez’s hobbies are numerous but atop his list is basketball. He plays
center on the Lexington basketball team. He recalled times when his
neighborhood peers would avoid him on his neighborhood basketball court
because of his deafness. Lopez recounted the pain and isolation that he
felt. “They would avoid me and not pick me on any of the teams,” he
said. Sometimes he would force his way into the games because he wanted
people to understand him and realize that he was capable of playing in
spite of being deaf.
Lopez’ passion does not stop with basketball. He participated on the
Lexington soccer, softball, and wrestling teams. He also served as his
class representative to the school’s student government. Frank Dattolo,
a science teacher at Lexington, summarizes his views of Lopez: “Joanel
was one of my 7th grade students at St. Francis de Sales and a member
of my Biology class at Lexington. He is a caring person and makes me
smile. I have known him for seven years and
I have seen that he has matured tremendously. Joanel shows
determination and commitment in his class work. I am very proud to see
Joanel grow into a fine young man. I know his future will be a bright
one! I am going to miss him terribly. I wish him much success!”
Michael E Graziano
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