Factory Town, Ultra and Tomorrowland are among the most well-known venues and events for house music and DJ events. For many aspiring DJs, performing their music and showcasing their skills at these events is a lifelong dream. Some Miami Palmetto Senior High students hope to turn these dreams into a reality, right in the comfort of their nine-to-five.
Whether their passion was fueled by a family member, friend or from within themselves, the drive to create a beat that gets the crowd growing is the heartbeat of what keeps these young DJs continuing to perfect their art.
For senior Paula Ortiz, her brother was the one to spark her love for DJing.
“I started this year because I always saw my brother do it. When I kind of saw what the hype was about it, I started getting super into [DJing],” Ortiz said.
Ortiz’s brother, Diego Ortiz, who graduated from MPSH in 2024, was one of the first to DJ at MPSH and set a pathway for other aspiring artists to follow. The Ortiz siblings have taken on jobs outside of MPSH, booking events at house parties and different clubs around Miami.
Another MPSH student whose love for music was created by a family member is senior Edguardo Gomez.
“My dad got me my first mixer because he was starting a party bus. I loved it and I still work on [the bus] to this day. It is a really fun job for me,” Gomez said.
Both these seniors have immense passion for what they do and found that from someone close to them.
“I just DJ at regular clubs around the area or house parties,” said Ortiz.
This year, Ortiz has worked on perfecting her art by playing at MPSH events all throughout the school year. Whether it be the winter pep rally or an event in the courtyard, Ortiz is spinning up the tunes that electrify the student body.
“Ms. Valero invites me to DJ at all the pep rallies; she likes the music I put on. I kind of ask around to see what students like to hear, and play what the general vibe [of the event] is,” Ortiz said.
While Ortiz is a part of the graduating Class of 2025, Class of 2028 student Benjamin Debowsky has been learning to mix his way into a more prominent DJ role at MPSH.
“One day, I was sitting in Ms. Valero’s office after a pep rally, and the DJ board was in there and it was playing music. I started mixing on [the board] and I found out it was Paula’s, and from then on I started [DJing at MPSH],” Debowsky said.
However, it was not overnight that Debowsky learned to DJ. While he has always had a passion for music, whether it was a cool beat or his favorite artist, he knew he had a knack for the art.
“I started doing music production in eighth grade, and from there it just evolved into DJing. I still do a little bit of music production on the side, but I still try to focus more on DJing, and I use the music production as an outlet for that. Sometimes I will even make my own songs,” Debowsky said.
With Gomez’s passion for music and drive to energize the crowd, he has been part of some of the school’s biggest activities.
“I started doing events in the auditorium, like Panther Prowl. My favorite part of [the events] is just the interaction with the students. One time, the auditorium was booked, everyone was just singing and dancing, it was pretty cool,” Gomez said.
While Gomez is a senior, he has started working with some of his fellow students to help them keep the sounds of MPSH at their best.
“Some underclassmen came to me and said they wanted to learn some stuff about DJing, so I have been teaching them a little bit,” Gomez said.
Ortiz, Gomez and Debowsky’s fondness for music helps them hone in on their talents to create the best atmosphere and mash up for their various parties and MPSH events.
If interested in booking any of these DJs, make sure to reach out to them with the contact information listed below:
Paula Ortiz: Part of the DJ company “Crave the Rave” based in Miami
Benjamin Debowsky: Instagram: DJ.Debow/ [email protected]
Edguardo Gomez: https://linktr.ee/yayimusic
