Assistant Head of School for Community, Inclusion, & Equity Michael Molina is reinforcing the School’s vision to strengthen community through the introduction of programming that inspires individuals with different backgrounds and heritages to share their perspectives and experiences with one another. 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and in response to the student CIE Committee’s request to hear about the professions, interests, and experiences of alumni who represent diverse heritages, Mr. Molina gathered stories from two interesting Gilman alumni. This colorful content will be shared in meaningful ways with students across all three divisions to celebrate our CIE theme of cross-cultural connection. 

BIOS

Nico C. Gonzalez-Reed '20: Nico, former baseball Hound, key player on the Gilman Track & Field squad, and Gilman News contributor, is in his third year at the United States Naval Academy.

Luis M. Queral '09: Luis, a senior product designer at The New York Times, was Student Body President ՚08-’09, layout editor for the Paragon, and an organizer of Gilman’s inaugural Blue & Gray Spirit Day.

Q&A

What is your profession/field of interest and what part of your Gilman experience might have sparked your journey towards that career?

Nico: I want to be a Naval Aviator. I would not have realized this dream without Gilman. My teachers, advisors, coaches, and mentors all instilled confidence in me. More importantly, they taught me to never give up. There have been many instances where I wanted to quit, but mentors from Gilman have reached out to me and helped keep me on the right path.

Luis: I am a product designer [...] at the New York Times. I work behind the scenes, designing software to help our internal teams do their job smoothly. I think Gilman challenged me intellectually, forcing me to think outside the box. To be honest, I probably thought a little too out-of-the-box at times, I was a very mediocre student. But after hours, I would apply that intellectual rigor to other creative endeavors which led me to where I am today.
Probably the most influential project I had during my time at Gilman was a website called Happyfood. It was a Tumblr where I posted pictures of food with faces drawn on them in microsoft paint. It later amassed a 30k+ following into college, which was big at the time!

What interests, talents or passions enrich your life in some way? What sparked that in you?

Nico: Gilman helped me realize that I could make my dream of becoming a pilot a reality. This past summer I completed the Naval Academy Powered Flight Program, and I received high praise for my talents in the air. I was given the opportunity to solo after only ten hours of flying time! I am also a member of the Naval Academy track and field team, where I compete in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. I would not have been able to appreciate track and field without Gilman.

Luis: Computers and technology have always been a very important part of my life. Every creative endeavor that I've ever had a relationship with, music, the visual arts, web design, all of them revolve around my passion for the personal computer. I think I just saw, and still see, the computer as a super-charger for creativity. I remember my experience with the first iMac in elementary school as being extremely liberating and inspiring. I couldn't stop being on the computer and making shit!

We go through periods where more traditional folks see technology as a threat (we saw this in the 2000's after the dot-com bubble and now with AI), but at the end of the day it's just a tool. A weird tool that is only going to get weirder and more fun.

Please share an experience that you had of a cross-cultural connection while at Gilman — an opportunity to connect with or learn from someone from a different cultural background than yourself.

Nico: I had the opportunity to learn from a different cultural background everyday at Gilman, but my most memorable experience was our trip to Peru. I will never forget arriving in Peru and being shocked by how different their culture was. This cultural experience taught me to be aware of the cultural differences that exist in the United States, which is an imperative skill as a leader.

Luis: I always appreciated the yearly Cultural Arts festival and the food that came with it. I remember seeing a stand with assorted west African food and being blown away at how similar it was to the Cuban food I grew up with. We are more connected than we know!