For many, the honor of salutatorian would be cause for celebration. However, Leggett’s Gavin Nichols isn’t many.
“My eighth grade year, I was salutatorian and I was not pleased with that. So I said, ‘I am going to have to be valedictorian of my high school class.’ I kind of pushed for it and strived for that, and really didn't settle. If I had anything less than a 90, I was kind of upset with myself, if I'm going to be honest. I would go up to my teacher if I had an 80 or maybe even a 90.”
The result of that hard work is top of the Leggett Class of 2025. Nichols said valedictorian was something that was a goal, but was also a surprise.
“It was definitely an honor and I was very grateful to have that position,” Nichols said. “I knew it came from above, that is for sure.”
Texas A&M University is where he will attend in the fall. A trip across the Sabine River was a consideration, but a relative was an influence.
“Early on, I thought I wanted to go to LSU and I knew I had a whole bunch of family out in Louisiana. They are crazy, so I don't know if I want to surround myself with a bunch of crazy people all the time,” he said laughing. “My grandfather actually passed away last year and (the one-year mark) is coming up pretty soon on May 22. He was a former student at A&M and that really drove my decision to go, just to follow in his footsteps. He played such a big role in my life, and I thought, ‘This is going to be great.’ He really did have a huge impact in my life. I just loved him, so that made me curious about A&M. I had seen some A&M attire around the house. That is where my grandmother and grandfather actually met, was at an A&M event in the early 2000s. I've been on the campus twice and looked around and did a tour. I figured I would do this organization called Breakaway on Tuesday nights, which is a huge Bible study thing going on. That really intrigued me.”
Nichols says kinesiology will be his field of study, where he has an interest in physical therapy. An injury in a Leggett High School basketball game his freshman year provided that pursuit. He tore his ACL and meniscus on the court.
“I went for a ball, and the ball was going out of bounds. I figured I would go and try to save it, and a big guy from their team just decided it was a good idea to push me. I tried to catch myself and heard my knee pop. I thought, ‘That can't be good.’ I tried to stand up and it felt like things were shifting in my knee. The first thing my coach hears me say is, ‘Where is my Mom?’
“Going to get surgery and then the recovery process that went into physical therapy, I fell in love with it. I heard people saying that ACL recovery is going to be the worst thing you will experience, but it was one of the best. I fell in love with the place. I went to the one in Livingston with Miss Sherry Middleton and Bea Ellis. That was a whole bunch of fun.”
Starting athletics in sixth grade, he played all the way until his senior year. His basketball season was cut short this year when deciding to prioritize academics. He did compete on the baseball field, where Leggett is attempting to establish a program.
A love for baseball started very early with his father and swinging a plastic bat.
“When I came into high school I was like, ‘Man, I really want to play but we don't have a team and we don't really have a field.’ (The field) looked like a putt-putt golf course, where there are so many crawfish holes that somebody could easily roll an ankle. They got that fixed and it was a thing of, ‘We are interested and I'm sure other people would be too.’ We just kind of put it together.”
Once in College Station, Nichols plans to add a minor in psychology in hopes of also becoming a Christian counselor to help others with their spiritual and mental walk.
