My Role Model

by Gabe Geller

“My father never got to have that feeling of getting a new piece of clothing as a child, as he would have to wear hand-me-downs from relatives trying to help him and his mom.”

Hi, my name is Gabe Geller, and this is my story. As a poor boy growing up in the 1960s, my father's mother, who worked full-time until the evenings in retail, was so exhausted when she returned home that she would place my dad in a play pen with a cookie in front of the TV so she could get some rest. My father never got to have that feeling of getting a new piece of clothing as a child, as he would have to wear hand-me-downs from relatives trying to help him and his mom. Hand-me-downs are usually old and raggedy and sometimes cause others to make fun of you. The earliest he could get a job he did, so he can make it easier on his mom.

My father would eventually bounce around public schools as he had to find the closest public school to his house so he could walk home before dark, as all the schools in the district were far away. This was tough as transitions to a new school can be very troublesome. He would after school sometimes walk to his mother's work, which was about five miles away, and wait for her as she didn't like driving home alone by herself at night.

At the end of his high school years, my father had to take the SAT, but had no resources to help him prepare. He'd have to sneak into the library and share a book with his best friend to help him prepare. He studied for hours and hours and used this book to help him get into UC Santa Cruz. Fast forward into college, he took out student loans to cover his educational costs and was so determined to see the world, he applied for a work study scholarship and was able to spend six months on a semester at a sea program.

To do this, he needed to study with his peers, and also work every day in the ship library. For my father, it was tough to work and study at the same time, and juggling both usually led to late nights on the ship deck and waking up early to work. This was very stressful for him, but he persevered, saw the world, and enjoyed his time.

Coming from a family in which his parents had nothing more than a high school degree, it was a big deal to go to college, let alone a semester abroad program. After college and graduate school, he got a job at Adobe, a software company. Through his time there, he learned from his peers how to lead and teach a group of people the right way to work. My father was able to become a successful leader who was able to provide for his family. I look up to him and use this as a lesson not to take anything for granted and to work hard on everything I do.

My family now provides me with SAT tutoring, which he didn't have, food on the table, new clothes, and not worrying about how I'm going to get home and much more. Although I will never have to experience the same conditions he had growing up, since I'm provided for by my family, I will still try to acknowledge that not everything in life is handed to you. You need to work hard in everything you do.