Continued from page 21
Steven “Tito”
Gabaldon
Helping his teammates on and
off the field
in his father’s footsteps with plans
to become an accountant. He has a
GPA of 3.8 and is described by the
Trinity Head of School as one of the
top five percent of young people he’s
encountered. Tito knows that next
year will be different, going from
a smaller private school to a large
public one, but he said, “I’m looking
forward to meeting new people and
having some more independence.
I will miss the size of the classes at
Trinity and there you have more one
on one. I know in college it’s going
to be really different.”
Aubree Sears-Young
Letting No Obstacles Stand in
Her Way
24
A senior at Trinity Christian
Academy, Steven “Tito” Gabaldon
is a gifted athlete and was a starter
on the school’s football and base-
ball teams until he experienced a
season-ending knee injury early in
district play last year as a junior. “It
was inspiring to see him remain on
the sidelines, patiently instructing the
backup QB who took his place and
encouraging younger teammates. His
diligent rehabilitation of the knee
paid off, and Tito was a key contribu-
tor to our baseball team last spring,
helping lead the squad to the play-
offs,” TCA Head of School Michael
Skaggs said.
Tito is described as a leader on
campus who seeks to build up others
and takes time for younger students.
He has taken special care getting to
know Skaggs’s son Dillon.
“I have personally seen this as a
father of a special needs child who
idolizes him. Dillon plays in a special
needs baseball league, and earlier
this month, Tito came one Saturday
morning to serve as Dillon’s “buddy”
in a Miracle League game. My son hit
his first home run of the season that
day, and watching Tito jump up and
down with him as they ran the bases
together is something I will never
forget,” Skaggs said.
His plan is to major in finance
at Texas A&M next fall, following
ing for her to understand the same
concepts as her peers when she
cannot see what is going on to under-
stand; however, she never gives up
and keeps trying,” McClintock said.
Outside the classroom Aubree busies
herself with horseback riding and
piano lessons and just started archery
lessons. She is a Girl Scout and is
active in her church, playing piano
and participating in mission activi-
ties. Aubree competes in UIL Music
Memory and competes annually in
the National Braille Challenge.
“As teachers, our hope is that we can
touch the lives of our students and
make a difference in their lives. More
often than not, we have students that
pass through our doors who make
more of an impact on us than we do
on them,” McClintock said. “Aubree
definitely made an impact on my life
and I think she would be a deserving
recipient of the Horizon Award.”
Asked how she felt about her
nomination, Aubree said, “I am
surprised and honored that my former
teacher nominated me.”
Asked who she looks up to, Aubree,
who has lived in Parker County seven
years, said, “I have many people that
I look up to. Two of them are my
mom and dad.”
Brittin Choate
Serving others before herself
When it came time for this year’s
Horizon Awards considerations,
a fourth-grade teacher at Brock
Intermediate School knew just the
young person to nominate — fifth-
grader Aubree Sears-Young.
“I was blessed to have her in class
last year in 4th grade. She is a
remarkable young lady,” Kimberly
McClintock said.
Visually impaired since birth, Aubree
hasn’t let considerable obstacles
stand in her way, instead working
to become successful in not only
academics but extracurricular activi-
ties as well. As might be expected,
Aubree often has to marshal lots of
extra effort to complete work her
classmates can accomplish in fewer
steps.
“There are times it can be frustrat-
Brittin Nicole Choate is an exemplary
student leader at Daniel Ninth Grade