RE LOG Fall 2017

FALL 2017 Ransom Everglades LOG 17 While at Ransom Everglades, Carlos Watson ’87 wrote a column for the school newspaper (“Watson’s Wide World of Sports”). He served as student body president. He ran track, and played football and basketball. He mentored public school children and also worked a number of part-time jobs, including bagging groceries at Publix. When his day ended, whether on campus or at the grocery store, Watson rushed to catch a Miami-Dade transit bus to his home in Homestead. The route required two transfers (to the No. 35 and 110 buses). He passed the time doing AP Physics, English or other homework. On a good day, the ride took three hours, 34 minutes. He often arrived home after 10 p.m. Watson’s parents were lifelong educators who worked at Florida International University and resided closer to the Florida Keys than Coconut Grove. They lacked the financial and geographic resources to provide an easy road for their children. They could shuttle Carlos and his sisters to RE in the mornings, but the children were on their own later. Both parents held advanced degrees, came from families that valued education and taught their children to be grateful for the breaks they got – and never resentful of roadblocks. Whether wearing his green apron at Publix, or bumping along on a jammed bus, Watson never ceased to cultivate a sense of gratitude that, combined with his relentless drive and determination, powered him through long days as a Ransom Everglades student and fuels him to this day. His life since RE has been as filled as it was while he was in school. He is entering his fifth year running a company that is part-media, part-art: OZY.com His foray into the world of imaginative multimedia through OZY comes on the heels of successful stints as a television commentator and anchor, education company founder and director, jet-setting consultant, newspaper reporter and political campaign director. And those opportunities came after Watson earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and law degree at Stanford. “I have a very tangible appreciation for the different roads your life can travel down,” Watson said. “I saw it every day when I passed through Coconut Grove … I was under no illusions about anything. I was really clear that I had been blessed.” “I have a very tangible appreciation for the different roads your life can travel down … I was under no illusions about any- thing. I was really clear that I had been blessed.” – Carlos Watson Photographs provided by OZY Media Watson’s yearbook page.