When you think of the type of student to graduate from Pine Crest School, the word “dynamic” comes to mind. A Pine Crest student is well-rounded, enthusiastic about learning, and a true scholar. As a yearbook editor, musician, athlete, and polyglot, Emma Gómez ’22 is someone who embodies all of those qualities, and more.
Emma and her family moved to the United States from Venezuela when she was four years old. She began attending Pine Crest as one of three new students in the third grade on the Boca Raton Campus. She recalls her first experience there as taking a tour with Mrs. Linda Bartron while her older sister finished her interview with an Admissions Counselor.
“I remember walking around with Mrs. Bartron, and going into one of the third grade classrooms. I glanced over and looked at the world study booklets, and for some reason, that really stood out to me,” Emma says.
Perhaps they stood out because, as time went on, Emma would prove to have a knack for language and communication. Not only did she learn to speak English, Spanish, and some French, but Emma taught herself a bit of sign language, simply because it was an interest of hers. If she could only pick one as a favorite, though, Emma explains that it would be Spanish.
“I have quite a few family members who speak Spanish exclusively,” says Emma. “When I was younger, I couldn’t understand much of what they were saying. Now that I am fluent, I can finally communicate with my family on a much deeper level. I really appreciate having that ability; I enjoy feeling more connected to that part of who I am.”
Emma Gómez ’22 with her mom Patty Gómez, World Language Department Chair.
Family has always been a big influence in Emma’s life. She and her sister spent their first few school years being homeschooled by their mother, Patty Gómez. Patty also happens to be a Pine Crest Upper School AP and Pre-AP Spanish teacher, the World Languages Department Chair, and the faculty adviser for “The Crestian” yearbook. With such strong ties to the school, Emma considers herself a lifer despite becoming a Panther only in the third grade.
“Pine Crest is a kind of family all its own. This is the only place I’ve ever received ‘formal’ schooling—it’s all I know,” she says.
Emma certainly has made the most of her time at Pine Crest.
“I’m someone who likes to do a lot of things,” Emma says. “If I had my way going into college, I’d have seven majors and five minors.” Obviously, a sense of humor is something that should be added to Emma’s list of traits and talents.
Explaining how she became so involved with yearbook, Emma again attributes much of the decision to her mother, Patty.
“My mom took over as yearbook adviser at Pine Crest when I was in the eighth grade,” said Emma. “She had some experience from running a nonprofit newspaper for kids when I was younger, but she wasn’t overly familiar with all the ins and outs of a yearbook. There was a lot of trial and error, staying late after school, and working on weekends. By default, I was exposed to it, and I ended up helping my mom with a lot of the work.” Emma decided to join yearbook and take yearbook class the very next year, as a ninth grader.
Emma has devoted significant time to all things yearbook in and outside of school. “I’ve been all over the place for yearbook. I’ve attended conferences for the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Journalism Education Association, the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA), and the holy grail of yearbook events which is the House of Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) conference that takes place in March.”
She does go on to describe more of what she has accomplished as a Panther. In addition to her diverse academic interests, which includes history, Emma is a multi-sport athlete. “I started swimming when I was four. I began swimming competitively here at Pine Crest at seven years old.”
While she enjoyed the sport initially, Emma explains that after 10 or 11 years, she began to feel burned out.
“I think I just needed a change,” she said. “So I started rowing and found that to be a great team sport. But the thing that surprised me most was when I decided to join the weightlifting team in ninth grade. Coach Hibbs and all the others do a phenomenal job; the focus is largely on personal development. I believe that the program and atmosphere are truly some of the best environments for student athletes.”
Additionally, Emma has served as the president of the Mentorship Program, a club founded by fellow Pine Crest alumni Michael Wexler ’21 and Mahdere Yared ’21.
“The goal of this organization is to match underclassmen with upperclassmen,” says Emma. “Freshmen get matched with juniors and sophomores are connected with seniors. We use the experience of the older students to help guide the younger ones through things like time management, organization, and the social scene. We want to help them navigate life at Pine Crest as best as possible.”
As Emma continues to reflect on her time spent at Pine Crest, she “can’t believe how quickly this time has gone. There are so many people here that have left a mark on me,” she says. “It is really difficult to talk about only a few. Dr. Dagmara Podkoscielny, Upper School Science Instructor, made me fall in love with chemistry. I’ve had her for three years, and her passion for the subject left such an impression on me, that it literally shaped what I want to pursue in college.”
Emma continues, describing another teacher that she will not forget. “Mr. Campbell was my fourth grade teacher at Boca. He was the face of the fourth grade at the time—legendary,” she says fondly. “He was so captivating in class and so passionate. I learned about the space race from Mr. Campbell, and I became obsessed because of how he taught it to us.”
When asked about a favorite Pine Crest memory, Emma says, “If you ask me this question on any given day, I could give you a different answer because there are so many memories. So I’ll describe the most recent one. I’ve been with the same students in my Spanish classes for four years. We have Señora Irene Zingg this year. Around Homecoming, we were trying to get her to move class outside. When she finally agreed, she grabbed my mom, and we went outside to start playing games. I remember feeling like it was the first time in the last two years that things felt ‘normal’. It felt like the formal welcome into my senior year and I’ll never forget that moment.”
As things begin to come full circle for Emma, she brings her thoughts back to the yearbook.
“I realized that the theme this year ‘It’s the Little Things,’ is so fitting,” she said. “The tone that the faculty and administration set here at this school is achieved through the little triumphs that happen every day. Pine Crest teachers are always working to find out what’s best for the students, and administrators aren’t just figureheads sitting in an office. The experience here is personalized, and everyone is constantly pouring into each other’s buckets to make all of us better.”
If there is any advice Emma would like to impart on her younger peers, she would tell them “not to underestimate the responsibility of senior year. Remember not to get sucked into the myth of ‘senioritis,’” she says. “You become responsible for more than just school as a senior. The decisions you make now start affecting the rest of your future. Take care, focus, and accept the advice and guidance of those who know better than you do. I always thought I needed to deal with things myself, but learned to accept help.”
Emma will be attending the University of Florida in the fall. Ironically, she will not be seeking a major in something like communications or business, or graphic design, all subjects that would seem like a natural fit given the depth of her journalism and yearbook experience. Rather, Emma intends to study chemical engineering, a subject that, while not related at all to journalism, Emma took an instant liking to. “I took chemistry freshman year, and I thought it was just the coolest class ever,” she says. “So I took AP chemistry in 10th grade, AP biology last year, followed by Post AP organic chemistry this year.”
