As a longtime basketball player, March is a special time of the year for Otis Kitchen ’01, ’03. As a high school junior, he led Tampa Catholic to a basketball state championship, scoring a game-high 24 points in the March title game.
His basketball exploits led him to Florida Atlantic on a basketball scholarship, where he suited up for the Owls shortly after the program moved up to Division 1. Then last March, he was able to see his alma mater reach unprecedented heights, reaching the Final Four in what symbolized a truly “surreal” experience and immense moment of pride.
“I just felt like I was dreaming,” Kitchen said after watching Florida Atlantic advance to the Final Four. “I’m listening to all these people in New York. They literally were screaming ‘F-A-U, F-A-U’ and then I looked up and the Empire State Building is in FAU colors. Can you believe that? It was unbelievable.”
While basketball led to unforgettable memories at Florida Atlantic, the 6-foot-6 forward found his true calling in the classroom. During the summer, he would go back to his hometown of Tampa and work at the local recreation center. In that time, he realized he could make a positive impact on younger kids who looked up to him.
“My mother was an educator for 40 years,” Kitchen said. “I would see her working with children and having that positive impact on them. I didn’t know at the time, but it was all resonating with me.”
Kitchen focused his studies on teaching, graduating from Florida Atlantic with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2001 and then a master’s degree in education in 2003. He spent five years as an elementary school teacher in Palm Beach County before heading back to Tampa.
Since that move, he’s progressed through the ranks and is now in his fourth year as an elementary school principal with the Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“It’s something that brings me joy, and I have a phenomenal time at work every day,” Kitchen said.
