Whether on the soccer field, where there’s a thrum of indescribable energy before every game, or in quiet evenings with only verse for company, Gabriel Xiong is staying grounded.
“I think sometimes it’s hard for me to see, and I’m sure a lot of people feel this way too, it can be hard to separate your accomplishments from who you are or how you feel that God sees you,” Xiong said. “But it’s definitely something that I always try to keep in mind when I fail or when I succeed. I’m loved regardless. That’s something that’s pretty valuable to me.”
Xiong was named the valedictorian of the Class of 2025. In all of Xiong’s academic and athletic achievements, religion has been a constant — he calls Christianity an “anchor” in his life.
“It helps me shape my identity in a way that school never could,” Xiong said. “It’s really taught me to try to look beyond myself and try to help people around me. I think my religion has impacted me in that way. It grounded me, in a sense.”
Xiong plans to major in computer science and business at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s hoping to discover a future career he’s passionate about in college.
“I don’t really know where I see myself in five years, but I’m excited to discover what I should do,” Xiong said. “I think that’s what makes life exciting, just the uncertainty. I don’t know how things are going to work out in this way, but I’m still ready for it.”
Much of Xiong’s high school career has been defined by a balance between academic success and athletic involvement – as one of the captains of the men’s varsity soccer team, Xiong said their playoff win was a defining memory.
“My soccer community means a lot to me, so it’s kind of sad to me that it’s coming to an end, but I’m really glad for the memories I’ve made and the impact it’s made on me,” Xiong said. “As a leader, playing soccer has allowed me to develop those skills. The people in my coaching world, like my teammates and my coach, have just really shaped the person I am, in terms of how I treat them, how I treat people outside of soccer, and just the kind of impact I want to make on the people around me.”
Soccer coach Dallas Killingsworth said that Xiong was a hard worker from day one – a dedicated, “coachable” player who has excelled as a leader and role model for the team.
“Whenever I have new captains, you wonder if they’re going to be good leaders and how they’re going to lead because there are different types of leaders,” Killingsworth said. “I would say that this year, he met my expectations and surpassed them even as far as his ability to encourage the team, lead the team, [and serve] as an example of how to do things the right way.”
The soccer team knows they can rely on their captain, but to senior Pratik Sahajwani, Xiong is also a friend who can be counted on to show up.
“He’s always been really dependable,” Sahajwani said. “If I’ve ever needed anything from him or I just want to talk to him, I think he’s always been someone in my corner that I can go to.”
Sahajwani remembers being surprised that Xiong was not only smart, but also one of the top soccer players – Sahajwani said he admires Xiong’s ability to balance both commitments.
“Gabe’s really motivated and Gabe’s super locked in,” Sahajwani said. “I think one time we all decided to go out, for example, and Gabe stayed home. The reason why it resonated with me is because throughout four years, Gabe always made sure to balance his school life and his academic life and his sport life. That’s the one thing I’ve always looked up to Gabe, is just how he’s been able to balance all his time and all his extracurricular commitments.”
One misperception Xiong thinks that people might have about him is that school is his “entire life”. To those who know him well, though, his extroverted, people-centric personality and sense of humor defy stereotypes.
“He’s accomplished a lot in terms of academics and extracurriculars, but he’s genuinely just someone that everyone always wants to be around,” senior Emilie Efendy said. “He’s always making a lot of jokes and is always very relatable. I think that that’s what really makes him someone that colleges or employers would want, and I think that that’s something that not everyone has. It definitely makes him stand out.”
In freshman year, Xiong had a horse head on hand for the English I project on the classic novel, “Animal Farm”. At the request of his friends, he put it on and galloped around the courtyard. The spectacle, complete with neighing on Xiong’s part, made an impression.
“I really didn’t know what to think of this guy because he was just kind of out and about,” Sahajwani said. “He would just do really random stuff. One of the first memories I have of him is him in the Commons with a horse thing on. But as I got to know him, he actually was a really nice guy.”
Senior Krish Advani admits that Xiong can be “a little bit funny”. Underneath the humor, though, Advani describes Xiong as someone who takes himself and his convictions seriously.
“He has a really pure heart,” Advani said. “Deep down, he’s a person who has strong moral values and sticks by them.”
Xiong credits much of his academic success to the friends and teachers around him – “really cool, really nice” people that he said have influenced him to be a better person.
“I’ve been really, really lucky with my teachers,” Xiong said. “When I look back, I don’t think I had a single bad teacher or a teacher who I didn’t enjoy being in their class. So I think a lot of my success academically went beyond just our teachers and the way they’ve impacted me inside and outside the classroom.”
Math teacher Ricardo Garcia said that although Xiong came off as “standoffish” at first, Garcia quickly came to see Xiong as a “good guy” with a strong work ethic.
“He was a junior in BC, so he was automatically someone who I thought, okay, he must be a pretty bright kid,” Garcia said. “At first, [he] didn’t really interact with me as much, but going from last year to this year, my impression and my relationship with him has grown a lot. I mean, last year, I don’t think I really got to know him as well as I do this year. I think either he’s matured or he’s worn me down to get to enjoy being in his company.”
Looking back, Xiong said his biggest regret was putting too much pressure on himself to succeed.
“Our mistakes define us and how we grow,” Xiong said. “I wish I could [go] back and just tell myself to let go, especially at this point in time. I think you can still try really hard and try to succeed while also taking the stress out of it, or making it seem like it’s the end of the world when you get a bad grade. It’s something that I wish I honestly did in the past.”
It’s been the “small moments”, in Xiong’s words, that defined high school for him.
“The little conversations or the inside jokes I have with my friends, just because when I reflect on my last couple years, I kind of wish that I didn’t take the little things for granted,” Xiong said. “It’s obviously something I still do, in that I’m always looking ahead to the next big thing. I feel like life can sometimes pass me by if I’m not taking time to just be present.”
Through it all, Xiong said his dad has been his biggest role model and motivation – he calls his dad a “stabilizing influence”.
“Especially during the college application process, just in high school in general, he was the opposite of a tiger parent,” Xiong said. “He was really hands-off and just saying, ‘hey, it’s up to you to find your success. You put in the effort you want.’”
On the soccer field, in the classroom, and in every interaction, Xiong is driven by a philosophy his dad passed down to him: “be a force”.
“It doesn’t matter if you always win or not, it’s just that you give yourself a chance to succeed, and you do everything in your power to succeed,” Xiong said. “That’s followed me in soccer and my academics. It’s okay if I don’t get the class high on everything [but] I need to give myself the best possible opportunity I can to succeed. It pushes me to give my full in everything that I do.”
