Chris Perdomo recently won the Miami Lakes Optimist Club’s Roland Gomez Scholarship award for boys for his stellar performances in the classroom and the playing fields.
Perdomo, who graduated from Hialeah Miami Lakes High in 2016 and finished a semester at Florida International University, played basketball and volleyball in high school and at the Optimist Club.
For winning the scholarship award, Perdomo was awarded $1,000 to use for college-related expenses.
He said he’s majoring in finance and chose FIU because the school has one of the best finance programs in the country.
“I wanted to make sure I go to a great school and be closer to home,” said Perdomo, who has a 3.43 college GPA. “I also learned about diversity and other kids’ cultures. I love college and studying at FIU.”
Standing 6-4, Perdomo was a force on the basketball court.
In high school, the power forward averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds and three blocked shots per game.
In volleyball, he recorded a 45 percent hitting average and 75 blocks in his senior season in high school.
Perdomo said he plans to play basketball in college but focus more on his academics and his goal of being a financial whiz on Wall Street.
“I’m thinking about a double major in finance and accounting,” he said. “I would like to attend the University of Florida for graduate school.”
Perdomo said his father taught him the game of basketball when he was kid.
“My father put up a hoop on the porch and taught me everything,” he said. “I grew up watching Dwayne Wade and LeBron James when they played for the Miami Heat and wanted to be like them.”
Perdomo said coaches at the Optimist Club also played a role in his accomplishments.
He won a championship under basketball coach Rey Valdes.