Andres Montes de Oca is a student journalist for the MAST Academy student paper, The Beacon, based in Virginia Key. Although it is his first year at MAST Academy, Montes is not a stranger to maritime activities, being an freelance surfer for the last four years.

“We like to go up to Vero Beach or Sebastian,” Montes said, which is located in Central Florida south of Melbourne.

Montes also spends time on a club swim team, where he has been honing his skills to potentially join the MAST swim team. When Montes is not in the water, he spends his time hanging out with his friends at malls such as The Village of Merrick park.

Going to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School for middle school, Montes is more than prepared for the academic workload at MAST Academy.