Well rounded is a way that you could define Darian Afusia. He is a student athlete, caring, hardworking and an ambitious person.

From sports, to academics, to Homecoming king, Afusia is very school spirited.

“I played football from my freshman year through my junior. However, this year I decided my heart wasn’t fully in this game anymore so I ended up becoming the Varsity Flag Football Manager,” Afusia said.

“This was so hard for me because you don’t just quit a sport you’ve been playing for eight plus years without second thoughts or doubts.

“Eventually I came around to accepting my time playing football was over and a new journey with the flag team began.

“As much of a demotion becoming the flag football manger sounds like, being their manager was by far one of the best decisions I’ve made in my high school career,” Afusia said.

“It was so fun to be around the team day in and day out, seeing them win the championship after so many obstacles they had to overcome this season was one of the greatest things I’ve witnessed as a Dimond Lynx.

“Being a student athlete is no joke. Especially as a freshman coming into high school it hits you really hard when your grades start slipping.

“Balancing school and sports really prepares you for life in the sense that you’ll always need the skill of time management.

“Putting the books first is something I regret not taking seriously early in high school. It is something I really encourage all student and student athletes to do.

“Considering that, I’d like to talk about my life is the academic hole I’ve dug myself out of,” Afusia said.

“Freshman year I ended below a 1.8 GPA. I thought I’d messed things up for myself for the rest of high school career.

“However, since then I’ve raised my cumulative GPA to a 3.4, and I am excited about my future that I used to be so unsure about.

“It makes me believe that most people can succeed from low places. You just have to be willing to work and grind it out,” Afusia said.

“I am really proud of myself being able to accomplish my GPA, but I couldn’t have done any of that if I didn’t have the wonderful people in my life. I’m so blessed to have my family, my girlfriend Hahna, and all of my friends who made it easier to get through every day of high school,” Afusia said.

“As a kid I really wanted to play pro sports, but now I’m really hoping through Sports Management I can find an opening somewhere that will allow me to be up close and personal with professional sports.
“Which leads me to after I graduate from Dimond I plan to attend Washington State University, and hope to pursue a degree in Sports Management to be around pro sports,” Afusia said.

Accomplishing so much already, from hitting rock bottom to succeeding, he has also made a huge impact on multiple people’s lives at Dimond. Afusia is a freshman mentor and he is a role model and a person to lean on to multiple people.

Hahna Wood is now Afusia’s girlfriend,but they’ve been friends since they were in second grade at Gladys Wood Elementary School. They started dating in 2018.

“Darian is a very caring and thoughtful person. He’s very spirited and when he’s passionate about something you can’t stop him from doing what he loves,’ Wood said.

Afusia’s best friend, Julian Kedem, has seen him grow since middle school.

“Darian is a kind person. He’s a huge goofball and the best friend a guy could ask for,” Kedem said.

“He cares about those around him and not only wants himself to succeed but for those around him to succeed as well.

“The thing about Darian is that there isn’t just one story. He does something funny, cool and weird every single day,” Kedem said.

“Just being around him every day you know something special is gonna happen. If I had to pick one of my favorite memories together it’d probably be playing basketball at TJ’s house, and he did the Keke challenge,” Kedem said.

“Darian is kind, caring, nerdy, hilarious and the best friend anyone could ask for.

“We’ve been friends since seventh grade because we were in percussion together in the band. We were cool but we didn’t really become best best friends until tenth grade, then the relationship rekindled and we blew up together. Everyone needs a Darian in their life,” Kedem said.

Darian Afusia is a person that multiple people can look up to. So many people can relate to him and be inspired by every thing he does.