Gabriel Tisdale, 2022 Garland High School graduate, is well on his way to realizing one of his lifetime goals. He has always wanted to be a Naval aviator and will soon begin his freshman year at the Naval Academy.
He began his academic journey at Walnut Glen Academy then attended Austin Academy before moving on to the IB program at GHS. In seventh grade, Gabriel made straight A’s for the first time. After that, nothing else would do. Those grades qualified him for membership in the National Honor Society and French National Honor Society at Garland High School. He was also in the Guitar Club and Orchestra. In addition, Gabriel was on the academic decathlon team and played on the tennis team.
He won the Goldie Locke NAACP Scholar Award for having the highest GPA of any African American student in Garland ISD. He won UIL music medals and performed more than 100 community service hours.
Timothy Schmidt, the magnet advisor/IB coordinator at Garland HS had wonderful things to say about Gabriel.
In a letter recommending Gabriel for an appointment into the Naval Academy, Schmidt pointed out Gabriel’s exceptional credentials, data points, academic achievements and leadership qualities. The GHS Gabriel Tisdale, 2022 Garland High School graduate, is well on his way to realizing one of his lifetime goals. He has always wanted to be a Naval aviator and will soon begin/IB coordinator added that not appointing Gabriel would be a disservice to the midshipmen who would have otherwise been his peers.
“Gabriel deserves the Naval Academy, and the Naval Academy deserves him,” Schmidt said in the letter.
Gabriel had some wise advice to share with younger students.
“I would say not to let where you come from, your past or your family situation define you,” he said. “There is something out there for absolutely everyone, so try anything and everything available to you and always seek out new opportunities.”
He also advised younger students to grab onto what they find they are passionate about.
“Pursue your passion to your heart’s content and surround yourself with people that understand and support that passion, whether family or friends,” he said. “A person is not defined by their circumstances, but by their willingness and determination to change them. Find whatever it is that makes you think and that makes you happy. Set goals based on those things and swing for the fences and beyond.”
Once he reaches his goal of becoming a Naval aviator, he hopes to make positive changes in the world.
“I’d like to do my best to steer the world in the direction of positive change in terms of politics, whether that be through an executive or legislative route,” Gabriel said.
He also plans to continue giving back to the community.