Telegram - Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944

Graduating Ecorse High Senior Dominic Woods says he is just a normal, average teen. Woods has had a distinguished academic career in Ecorse Public Schools and throughout his four years at Ecorse High School, he has managed to maintain straight A's in all his courses. It is his dedication to his studies which has earned him a 4.06 GPA and entry this fall to the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. For Woods,

work comes first, but there is always time for play as well. "I play basketball, I play football, I'll have fun, I'll try to do things that entertain me...I play video games all the time," he says.

Tyrone Woods, Dominic's father, recalls "The first time he went to school, I think I still have the picture somewhere of him looking back at me like, 'I got this,' that sort of thing." The elder Woods says from pre-school to today, Dominic has always done well. His childhood interests included dinosaurs and the Titanic. "Whatever he's interested in, trust and believe that he learns it inside and out," says the elder Woods, adding that at one point, Dominic memorized the name of each person that perished when the Titanic sank in 1912. There were more than 1500. A father of three and employee with Ecorse Public Schools, the elder Woods says he has always encouraged his children to strive for every academic opportunity available. 'Me, personally, I'm through the roof. I can't even describe my pride when it comes to Dominic."

"What makes Dominic so special is that he doesn't let anything get in the way of his learning and isn't afraid to ask questions for deeper understanding," says Ecorse High English teacher Malissa Martin, who has known Woods since his sophomore year. "Dominic stands out at ECHS because of his manners, charisma, and suits; he wears suits to school because it's what he feels most comfortable in. He dresses for tomorrow's success today and I admire that about him. I know for sure that Dominic will be successful in the future."

Woods credits Martin's instruction with helping to expand his reading comprehension and writing abilities. "When I took the AP English Literature, which was her course, whenever I had a question I would go to her. She read every paper I had to write and she helped me change certain things, reword certain things to make it as good as I could possibly make it," he says. "Ms. Martin, to me, has been a lot more than just a teacher, she's kind of been like a friend and I'm very grateful to have her as a teacher."

Throughout high school, Woods has taken a variety of courses on an array of topics, which helped him determine where his interests lie. In his quest, Woods took a number of regular high school course, advanced placement courses, and dual-enrollment courses held in partnership with Wayne County Community College. His courses included political science, varying types of mathematics courses, physics, speech, environmental science, and psychology. "I didn't necessarily have a firm idea as to what I wanted to do so I figured if I can just take these classes I can kind of get a good understanding of these different subject areas," he says. The elder Woods believes the dual- enrollment courses were the best fit for Dominic, providing him the challenge he needed and was not receiving from general high school curriculum.

This fall, Woods be stepping onto the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to earn a degree in political science and eventually attend law school. He says his experiences in high school as a tutor, Senior Class President, Board of Education Student Representative, and assistant in Principal Michael Barclay's office have strengthened his communication and interpersonal skills, and helped him appreciate responsibility and time management. But this summer, Woods will be spending time on the golf course, a sport he has become interested in and hopes to become better at.

Barclay says, "He's a jack of all trades and master of all of them. Overall, he's an excellent human being and that's what it's going to take to be successful."

With the support of family, teachers, and friends, Woods will graduate ready to take on the challenges ahead of him. "There's really not much that's going to hold him back," says the elder Woods. "He's the kind of guy that can think his way through a lot of things, he can figure out how to make things work, 'no' is just not an answer because he can figure it out."