Boston Martinez
Said Boston Martinez at graduation: "To God, for giving me the strength and guidance to navigate this insane journey. His presence has been a constant source of comfort and direction, reminding me that with faith, all things are possible. Even being able to find the 1300 hallway."
Boston Martinez is heading off to college at the University of Missouri a decorated young man, perhaps as decorated as any graduate of Southwest High School.
It’s hard to tell. There have been so many go through the doors at the Fort Worth high school in Wedgwood since 1967 but consider Martinez’s resume.
You could say that he was involved. He showed up and did things, and he cared about how he did them.
He was a four-time regional qualifier in cross country. He qualified for regionals in track and field in the long and middle distances. As a baseball player, he earned four letters as a member of the varsity and was selected captain three years.
He has already begun pouring a foundation for a career in broadcasting as a two-time SkillsUSA national champion.
This past year, Martinez was selected “Mr. Southwest,” perhaps the school’s most prestigious honor.
And for the cherry on top, he earned distinction as the Class of 2024’s salutatorian. He had been asked to go see a teacher or counselor about something.
“It was in the middle of one of my classes, smack dab in the middle of the school day,” he says. “I go there, and she hands me a form with big letters across the top that says, ‘Boston Martinez, Salutatorian.’ She says, ‘Yes, this is official.’
“That [his name as salutatorian] is going to be with the Class of 2024 for all of history is just so surreal. And in that moment, I just stopped what I was doing. I couldn't even fill out the form with all my parents’ and my information. I was just, I just sat there, and I'm like, ‘Wow.’”
Southwest graduated its Class of 2024 on June 1 at TCU’s Schollmaier Arena.
Southwest opened for the school year in September 1967 to serve the growing Wedgwood neighborhood. But it began classes on Paschal High School’s campus. The new $2.3 million school wasn’t ready for classes for the new school term. The new school building opened for the spring semester.
"I remember my first day here, like a freshman on the varsity team, not knowing what to expect," Martinez told graduates, deploying his good sense of humor. "I was nervous, excited, and slightly lost — mostly because I couldn’t find my classes. No seriously, who designed the number system for these hallways? It’s a mess."
By talking to him, Martinez is ahead of his time.
He told his classmates that his life in sports has taught him some valuable lessons he’ll take forward.
“I’ve often heard people say that sports build character,” he said at graduation. “I can attest to that. They also build strength, stamina, and understanding the necessity of a really good ice bath. But more than anything, sports taught us about teamwork, perseverance, and the importance of a good game plan. They taught us that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes the ump makes a call so bad you question if they’re even watching the same game. And isn’t that just a perfect metaphor for life?”
It is.
The next time Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game comes to town don’t be surprised if it’s Boston Martinez on the television telling you all about it.
Just this summer, Martinez earned a second national championship in broadcasting from the SkillsUSA national convention in Atlanta. His team was charged with creating a three-minute broadcast by picking from 30 current events. He specialized in writing the sports segment, though he wrote some others, too.
Now, it’s off to Missouri, where he plans to pursue journalism, though he’s hedging. He will start as a double major — journalism, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
“I love both fields so much,” Martinez says. “I love engineering, I love math, and I can't give it up. But I love journalism so much as well, particularly sports journalism. I've been so keen with that. It's been so much of my life. I can't give that up either.”
Rest assured, one of those industries will be getting a baller.
