Posted by Evan Henson on 6/16/2022 9:00:00 AM
A few things are very important to Gabe Baker: faith, fitness, music and North East ISD.
“I truly enjoyed my time at NEISD. I loved every teacher. I bet you there are some teachers who would probably be mad at me that I’m not remembering their names right now. But again, I have had a really great relationship with a lot of my teachers, and it was just a fun experience.”
Gabe recently reflected on his time at NEISD.
He started smiling.
He then started racking his brain, trying to remember the name of every teacher he ever had—he wanted each to get credit for their impact on his life.
“Mrs. Nunley in first grade. Mr. Newcomb played Beatles music. Coach Fuschak was a great coach….”
Gabe attended Thousand Oaks and Redland Oaks elementary schools, Driscoll Middle School and graduated from MacArthur High School in 2010.
He was involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), track, football, Peer Assistance Leadership and Service (PALS), National Honor Society (NHS) and orchestra.
So, school was important to him.
“I really did my best just to be a leader on campus—just to be a very involved student. And I had a great collection of friends. I had an experience in athletics and with just different communities of people. So, I think being in NEISD really set me up well.”
Since graduating in 2010, Gabe has gone nonstop.
He is taking his experiences and passions cultivated at NEISD out into the world.
He played football at Rice University with a team that had three bowl appearances and won a conference championship.
He even considered an NFL career.
But as he reflected on that time in his life, he couldn’t help but think about all the coaches he had at NEISD who cultivated his love of sports and fitness.
“I’m still pretty close with and keep in touch with Coach Hines, Coach Jeffrey Hines. He was my seventh-grade science teacher. And then he was also my coach for football and track. And I think basketball for seventh and eighth grade as well. So, I spent a lot of time with Coach Hines. Great coach, great, great guy.”
While his life took a different route than playing in the NFL, fitness is still very important to Gabe. He’s competed on the Netflix original series “The Ultimate Beastmaster” and will soon be competing for a second time on NBC’s “America Ninja Warrior.”
His television credits also include “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart.” It was a dating show for musicians.
Gabe is currently pursuing a music career in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s a passion that took root at Redland Oaks—when he picked up a cello for the first time.
“I started playing cello in the fourth grade, But Mr. and Mrs. Sorgi were great. I got to be with them all through middle school as well. One of my closest friends is their son Cameron. They are great family friends. Oh, and Dr. Garverick. She was my orchestra director at Mac. She was also one of my favorites.”
As Gabe continues to think of names of teachers he had along the way, “Mr. Green was a great history teacher. Dr. Turnbo. Mr. McDaniel was an incredible teacher. Oh, my English teacher for junior year…red hair guy,” he offers this advice to current NEISD students.
“Realize that your time in school is to learn; really make that intention to learn about yourself. The teachers you are meeting, the friends you are making, the experiences you are going through-- are forming you intentionally. So be wise with what those experiences are. And have fun. Just soak it all in, because it will go by really quickly.”
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