Shining Knights: DWSA senior Matthew Samuels sings on path to legal career

On any given week, Denzel Washington School of the Arts senior Matthew Samuels might perform a gospel solo, lift weights and spend late nights studying toward his long-term goal of becoming a federal prosecutor.

That balance of discipline and ambition traces back to Matthew’s upbringing by parents from Jamaica who immersed him in Caribbean culture, instilled in him a strong sense of identity and taught him values that shape his academic and personal pursuits.

“I grew up on the food, on the culture, on the music,” Samuels said in a recent interview at the school. “I wasn’t necessarily assimilated into how American things go. All I knew growing up was Caribbean culture.”

The accomplished vocalist said that influence extends beyond traditions and language.

“Even the way I speak, my mannerisms — a lot of the things that make me, come from there,” he said. “I truly thank my parents for that because it keeps me grounded in everything I do.”

One of the strongest influences in Matthew’s life is his older brother, Chevaun Samuels, a Mount Vernon High School graduate who went on to attend New York University and Columbia Law School and is now an associate at a Manhattan law firm.

“He’s definitely one of my biggest inspirations. My biggest goal in life is to be a federal prosecutor,” he said, adding that seeing his brother’s success made that goal feel attainable.

“Seeing him walk in his excellence, seeing him continuously succeed showed me that there’s room,” Matthew said. “We’re from the same place, and I can achieve the same things and even greater.”

The aspiring prosecutor, who also hopes to become an adjunct professor, has already been accepted to Pace University, where he received the President’s Scholarship, as well as the University at Buffalo and Fordham University. He is awaiting responses from several Ivy League and highly selective institutions.

“I want to focus on African-American studies — showing how we were deprived of a lot in our history,” he said. “But also showing how we affected time and culture, how our footprints matter.”

Over the years, Matthew said, DWSA helped him discover his voice — literally. He initially came as a saxophone player and performed with the band. But something felt missing.

“I didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt like I was doing it because I had to,” he said, explaining that a Summer Bridge performance before his freshman year would launch his singing career in high school.

He performed a solo — a Stevie Wonder song — and the enthusiastic response surprised him.

“Seeing people’s reactions made my heart burst. A lot of people didn’t even know I could sing,” Matthew said. “My mom said I could sing ever since I could talk. Music has always been there.”

Today, he performs multiple times a week, often at school events and through his church, Refuge Temple.

“Seeing people cry when I sing gospel, I feel like I’m helping them release something,” he said. “That’s where the fulfillment comes from.”

Alongside music and academics, athletics are central to Matthew’s life. A dedicated track and field athlete, he competes as a hammer thrower, shot putter and weight thrower, disciplines that demand both strength and precision.

In 2024, he became a USA Track and Field All-American in the 15–16 division, a milestone he views as the product of consistency and discipline.

“Sports is my home away from home,” he said. “When things aren’t going the way I want, that’s what keeps me grounded. Putting on my throwing shoes, lifting weights — that’s my release.”

Before competitions, Samuels practices a breathing ritual that reflects both focus and faith. “I breathe in fear, doubt and pain, and then I breathe them out,” he said. “Then I breathe in success, gratitude, confidence and strength.”

That resilience was tested during his sophomore year following the death of his maternal grandfather, Ferdie George Robinson, who lived in Jamaica.
“That year hit me the hardest,” Matthew said. “Sports saved me. It wasn’t shoving the pain away — it was living on my grandfather’s legacy.”

Service to others is another cornerstone of Matthew’s life.

He is a junior lawyer with the Mount Vernon Youth Court, where he helps create restorative action plans designed to keep young people out of the Family Court system; serves as assistant director for his church’s youth choir; and is a member of the library council, where students help guide decisions.

At school, he is president of the Youth and Bachelor Club, student body vice president, and a longtime member of the track and field team.

“I love to be busy. Staying busy makes me feel good at night. I feel like I accomplished something,” said Matthew, who is candid about the challenges he faced growing up, including issues with focus and attention that surfaced in elementary school.

“My attention span was really low, so my mom brought me to a developmental specialist,” he said.

Matthew credits the guidance of teachers, particularly Raven Keys, his AP Literature and AP African-American Studies teacher.

“She helped me understand who I am,” he said. “She taught me that it’s not about the grade — it’s about what you take from it and how you apply it to society. Confidence is key.”

That lesson carried Matthew through an intensive summer of enrichment programs at NYU, Harvard University and the Thurgood Marshall Federal Courthouse. Through those programs, he studied college admissions and leadership, participated in a pre-law program and learned directly from federal judges and lawyers.

“I got to meet people from the FBI. I got to meet federal prosecutors. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was right there talking. It was amazing,” he said. “I live every day acknowledging that the people who came before me live through me. I want to be the same advocate, the same community man. I’m here for a reason, and everything I do is done for a purpose.”