Every morning, Nick Gemina makes it a point to greet everyone he passes in the hallways of Crestview High School. It’s not a performative gesture — it’s who he is.

• “I say good morning to every single person I see,” Gemina said. “I love seeing people smile. I love seeing the change in people.”

For Gemina, a senior at Crestview High School, these small interactions matter because they reflect a larger philosophy about making an impact.

“You’re making that change, you’re leaving a mark,” he said.

That same dedication to showing up for others — whether through a simple greeting or years of community service — has now earned Gemina a full scholarship to Duke University through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Out of 27,000 applicants nationwide, only 2,500 students received matches this year.

The moment Gemina learned of his acceptance, he ran around the office screaming with joy — then immediately decided to prank his parents. He asked Principal Victoria Hayden to call his parents and tell them he was “causing a ruckus” and needed to speak with them about what happened. Gemina got on the phone and told them he’d been written up for being on his phone and running around the discipline office.

• “They need you to come here now,” he told them. “I was in huge trouble.”

His parents rushed to pick up his younger sister from school and hurried to Crestview High, thinking their oldest son was in serious trouble. When they arrived at the office, all the administrators were waiting.

“It looked like I was in trouble. I felt like I was actually in trouble,” Gemina said. “And then I had her explain what Duke was.”

For his parents, who immigrated from the Philippines before Gemina was born in 2008, Duke was just another name. When Principal Hayden explained it was one of the top schools in the nation and that Gemina was going on a full scholarship, the celebration grew even louder.

• “They got even louder when they heard that they didn’t have to pay anything,” Gemina said. “So I think that was the big part, not only did I get into one of the best schools, but also the not having to pay part.”

The financial relief was particularly significant for Gemina’s family. As the oldest of seven children, he didn’t want his parents to go into debt to send him to college when they still have six other children to support.

The oldest of seven children, Gemina is a first-generation college student whose parents immigrated to Crestview from the Philippines before he was born in 2008. His parents completed high school in the Philippines but did not have the opportunity to attend college due to cost. 

When his parents arrived in the United States, they knew little about navigating the American education system.

• “They had no clue on what’s going on,” Gemina said. “So growing up, I had to do a lot of it on my own. I had to teach myself a lot. Now I’m teaching my siblings.”

His parents moved to America with a clear goal in mind – they wanted to start a family.

His parents completed high school in the Philippines but did not have the opportunity to attend college due to cost. Gemina has often wondered about their decision to settle in Crestview.

“I asked them a lot, not that there’s anything wrong with Crestview,” he said. “But you came from the Philippines and had the opportunity to go anywhere in the United States and you chose Crestview.”

Despite his initial curiosity, Gemina appreciates his hometown deeply.

• “I am beyond blessed to live in Crestview,” he said. “I think it’s an amazing community.”

For Gemina, school isn’t just a place he attends — it’s his work.

“I think school’s my job because I’m here a lot,” he said. “I’m here until 4 o’clock a lot, making sure everything gets done, making sure our school’s clean, making sure all the teachers are done and don’t need help.”

He approaches his education with the seriousness of a profession because he believes treating it casually would undermine his goals.

• “To actually make change, you actually have to devote yourself. It’s not something where you just show up.” Gemina said. 

That dedication has manifested in years of service to his school and community. Gemina has served as student government association president for two years and has been a member of the National Honor Society for four years. As a senior ambassador in the school’s leadership program, which he joined as a freshman, he helps organize events including freshman orientation and community service projects.

His commitment to service extended beyond school activities. As a Key Club member, he organized a toy drive that provided gifts to more than 100 foster children through a partnership with Crestview Manor. He also served as vice president of Health Occupation Students of America and volunteers at a hospital every Tuesday for two hours through the school’s EMR program.

“I’m really big for the community. I love showing up to everything. I love helping out the people and my biggest thing is seeing the smile on people’s faces,” Gemina said. “You’re making that change, you’re leaving that mark.”

• His philosophy extends to the smallest interactions. One of his teachers once told him that a simple “good morning” changes everything, and Gemina has taken that lesson to heart.

Gemina plans to major in biology and pursue a career as a trauma surgeon, with the possibility of studying law afterward. He has been part of Florida State University’s Stride program, a medical outreach initiative for high school and undergraduate students, since seventh grade.

When asked what Crestview High School has meant to him, Gemina didn’t hesitate.

“Crestview High School has been a home,” he said. “I know a lot of people say that about just about anything — about church, which I also love, or someone else’s household — but I think Crestview High School’s been a place where I can talk to people, a place where I can truly grow, and a place where I can realize what I truly want to do.”

He credits his teachers with shaping his path.

• “Teachers are one of the biggest torches towards your path to life,” Gemina said. “What they do can influence every single thing. You can have that one bad teacher — don’t let them influence anything you do. One bad teacher doesn’t define you. Or you could have one amazing teacher that completely changes your entire mindset about everything.”

He paused before adding: “That’s what school has been to me. It’s been a second family.”

Reflecting on his high school experience, Gemina described it as transformative.

“It’s like a really huge chapter in the book of life and what this chapter does can influence how the rest of the book goes,” he said. “I think that’s what Crestview High School is to me.”

Gemina’s younger brother Josh, a junior, is also part of the Stride program and plans to apply for the same scholarship next year.

• “Truly, I think knowing that I’m fully set to go to a school that a lot of people dream of under a full scholarship, I think that it may have taken off more than 30 pounds,” Gemina said. “I feel the weight off my shoulders.”

Principal Hayden, herself a graduate of Crestview High School, said Gemina’s achievement demonstrates what local students can accomplish with dedication and perseverance.

“It’s that light that it is certainly achievable,” Hayden said. “I love the fact that Crestview can offer so much, and our students have an opportunity to see where their niche actually is and grow from there. Nick is a dedicated student, and I know he’s passing that on to his siblings and other underclassmen here.”

After receiving his Duke acceptance on Dec. 1, Gemina withdrew his applications to other schools, including the University of West Florida, University of Central Florida and Florida State University.

• “Now I have time to focus on school,” he said.

Hayden said the school is considering establishing a hall of fame to recognize academic and extracurricular achievements, similar to its sports recognition wall, with Gemina potentially being among the first honorees. 

“His passion for learning — I want that would bleed through the rest of our population in education,” Hayden said. “He truly took advantage of everything he could take advantage of, and that makes him that well-rounded student and why he got a match.”