My Middle School Experience

(The following is a testimonial Winston Eli Burris gave at the Class of 2029 Pin Mass on May 8, 2025, at the Our Lady of Belen Chapel.)

Good evening, administration, faculty, parents, and friends, I am Winston Burris, but many know me as Eli. I am honored to have been asked to speak on behalf of my class, the BEST class, the Class of 2029. This evening, we come together to remember and celebrate the past 3 years that God has blessed us with at Belen Jesuit. Throughout our middle school years, we have shared many memories, learned valuable lessons, and grown stronger: physically, mentally and most importantly, spiritually.

I remember back in 2022, which feels like yesterday, how we were beginning the process to hopefully become a student at Belen. I still recall the day I found out that I was officially a Wolverine. It was a feeling of pure joy as I am sure many of my classmates felt too. Before we even started our first day at school, many of us were familiar with what Belen stood for and its tight-knit community. As soon as our journey began, we were able to experience it for ourselves and felt welcomed right away. 

6th grade was a year of new beginnings, where we were guided by our teachers in order to tread the new Wolverine waters on our own. 7th grade was a huge step in strengthening friendships. It was a time when I personally shared joy and sadness with many of you. During this time, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had never experienced anything that scary before. It was such a difficult time for me until I opened up to my Belen brothers. Many of my classmates and their families comforted me and showed much generosity by helping with meals, carpooling me to and from school, and praying continuously for my family. Thankfully, my mom has been 100% cancer-free for the past 2 years and I will always be grateful for the support everyone gave my family during this time. Since this experience, the brotherhood with my classmates has only gotten stronger. It’s hard to believe that we are almost done with 8th grade. We have come a long way from those nervous 6th graders, unsure if this was the place for them, to now calling Belen - our second home. 

During the past few years, we have learned many lessons. An important one was from our dean of men, Mr. DeAngulo. He said: you get out, what you put in. Living out this lesson has encouraged us to constantly strive towards the Magis and whatever it is you are doing - always focus on quality, over quantity. 

Another important lesson was shared with us at the start of 7th grade. There was a presentation that almost felt like a wake-up call to growing up. A recurring phrase, Esto vir, which means “Be a man“ stood out to me. That phrase left space for the following question: what does it really mean to be a man? We have been taught that to be a Man means:

In striving to do these three things, we can become more like Jesus Christ, the perfect MAN.

Tonight is also an opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has been part of our middle school journey. 

First, I want to thank God. It is so easy to get caught up in our busy lives and leave God out of our set schedule, but the most important thing is to let him lead your life through prayer. I’ve seen so many of my classmates do this. Every day, they give up their free time after lunch to pray the rosary in the chapel with Deacon O’Malley. I hope we will continue to grow together in faith. 

Thank you also to the Jesuit priests and brothers for being role models, showing us every day how to live like Christ. Your example will surely lead us to Heaven. 

I want to thank the administration and faculty for giving their all to us. They have guided our class into becoming young men in and out of the classroom. Our teachers have motivated us to challenge ourselves to achieve our maximum potential. 

I also want to say thank you to the ones who might sometimes go unnoticed at Belen, like the maintenance and lunch crew, they are the ones that keep this whole thing running no matter what.

Thank you to our parents for everything they sacrifice to help us be our best. I know it's not easy driving way out west to provide a superb education, or spend your afternoons in that Miami traffic in order to cheer us on at games or performances. but there you are every time. The dedication and love you give us means more than you will ever know. 

Lastly, I want to thank the Class of 2029, who have become my friends, teammates, and brothers. There is nobody on the face of the earth I would have rather spent my middle school years with. The book of Proverbs, verse 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another”. To sharpen one another is to keep each other accountable and mutually build each other up. I’ve seen this verse in action throughout the past 3 years. For example, when a classmate was headed down the wrong path, we didn’t just look the other way; rather, we reached out to them and brought them back. Or when a teammate felt like slacking off or falling behind in practice, there was always someone there to encourage them and push them towards success. Like a potluck dinner, where all the dishes make for a delicious feast, each and every one of your gifts and talents make for a unique class and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it. 

Recently, we were reminded of how precious and fragile life is when we mourned the loss of our brother Lucas Osuna. We can never take the gift of life for granted. Instead, we should use every day as an opportunity to live out the magis, to serve those who need it most, and to live like Jesus did. We’ve come so far as a class and there’s so much more to look forward to. As we prepare to start high school, we will certainly face unexpected challenges, but I firmly believe that when we band together, nothing can slow us down. We are ready and  I know that the best is yet to come. God bless and Go Wolverines!