By: Angela Sheu and Ashir Rao

News Editor and Public Relations Manager

Avid musician, programmer, and chess player, junior Gavin Tamasi is a true Renaissance polymath. He is sure to leave his mark in his final years at LGHS.

Tamasi showcases both musicality and leadership as the section leader of the LGHS Marching Band’s Front Ensemble. He plays the marimba, a mallet instrument which he first learned after joining winter percussion as a freshman. He considers this year, his second fall season, to be the best so far and reflected, “we’re doing very well, both in progressing as musicians and in our scores…kind of setting the foundations for a future powerhouse marching band.” Although it is an ambitious goal, he hopes to win a Percussion Caption Award next year, which is given to the best percussion ensemble at an event.

Throughout his past seasons, Tamasi particularly enjoyed being part of the marching band community. He explained, “I enjoy building that sense of purpose inside of [others] and seeing people grow as musicians and as individuals.” He elaborated, “the friends I’ve made have definitely helped me form into my own person. [They have] helped me identify who I am, who I want to be, and what I value.”

Tamasi has found another community in LGHS Robotics, which he joined this year as a programming student. While he knew some Java and Python before joining the team, he has enjoyed learning specific FIRST Robotics Competition robot programming. His favorite lesson so far has been learning “PID [proportional-integral-derivative control] to control drivetrains because it [has] very interesting, math-based theory behind it.” Joining robotics has further developed his individual skills, as well as influenced his plans to pursue a career in STEM.

In his free time, Tamasi is particularly fond of chess. As president of the Chess Club at LGHS, he sometimes presents lessons, but during typical meetings club members simply discuss current events in the chess world or strategies they want to learn. Since first joining the Chess Wizards —the chess club at his elementary school— six years ago, he has “met a lot of people through chess,” and they have been able to “[grow] both as players and individuals together.” He noted that he has not had much time to practice between robotics and marching band, but he still cherishes chess as “something to relax and calm down after a long day.”

Tamasi has plans to continue his illustrious pursuits after high school. For his future career, he is specifically interested in theoretical math and physics, but he also enjoys conducting experiments and “actually seeing the practicality of it.” Be it on the chess board, the computer, or the marimba, always be on the lookout for Gavin Tamasi!