I am a proud member of the Class of 1990. My athletic activities revolved around playing on the Cathedral Soccer team, as well as supporting my close and current friends who played on our Basketball and Football teams. Beginning in my sophomore year, I was asked to be the business manager for the fine arts department. I considered it an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of working the door and ticket sales for our spring and fall performances. Being active in school programs definitely allowed me to meet classmates from all grade levels, and helped build pride in our School.

I was the second member of my family to enroll and attend Cathedral High School. Even before high school, I was attending activities at Cathedral and was familiar with our proud Cathedral traditions. We were blessed to have a Catholic education beginning in kindergarten, and it was obvious to me that I would finish off my high school years in the same fashion. I will admit that in my sophomore year I began to wonder what it would be like to attend a different school, but I quickly realized that my heart and mind belonged at Cathedral. I remember a great transformation among my classmates as we entered our Junior year, in which we all realized that we were in a special place. For this reason, I have always been proud of all of the lifelong friendships that were made during my time at Cathedral.

As a parent of a current Cathedral freshman, I have been blessed with the opportunity to bring back many fond memories and relationships. It is an awesome feeling to watch my son walk through the doors as part of his daily life. My most cherished moments have revolved around events that we lived through as classmates. The class of 1990 mourned the loss of a classmate, and it really was a turning point in bringing us together as we finished our Cathedral years. I still keep in contact with my close friends from high school, and I attribute our successes to our years at Cathedral.

I graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin Texas. My plan always was to work in our family business so I went to Austin to obtain my business degree. In May of 1994, I graduated with a degree in Business management.

With the exception of my college years, I have lived and worked in El Paso, Texas. I am currently the President and CEO of our family Business called the Garick Group, Inc. Cathedral gave me the foundation I feel was necessary in order to be responsible in both my personal and business life. As part of my job, I often have to write and speak in front of groups. These are skills that were learned and developed at Cathedral. It is not uncommon for me to attend business or social meetings in which I run into a fellow Cathedral brother. Being a part of this Brotherhood definitely opens up many opportunities. We are blessed to be part of a proud tradition, and it is our responsibility to keep it going strong. 

“What are you proudest of?”
My proudest moment as a Cathedral graduate is to have worked alongside Brother Nick in the summer of 2015, for the remodeling of the school. We all have our war stories of how depleted the facility infrastructure was, but that did not mean that we could not completely change it. With the help of social media, this project was able to be shared with alumni from all over the world. Fundraising was done, and the scope of work grew immensely. The end result is a much improved infrastructure and a wave of momentum that will be put to good use.

“What lesson from Cathedral do you carry with you?”
Cathedral has taught me a lesson that I hope to continue to carry forward and teach to others. When a visitor walks the hallways of Cathedral, the students immediately show respect towards the visitors. This is definitely a lost art that needs to be taught and reinforced. In the same fashion as we share a respect with our Cathedral Brothers, we can use the same approach in our everyday life. We are all Brothers in Christ and must respect each other.

“Do you have a message (lesson/observation) for a current Cathedral student?”
My advice to all Cathedral students is to cherish the moment. They are currently living their lives at full speed, but sometimes it is good to slow it down and soak in the experiences. Many decisions that they will make will have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. The idea is not to quit making mistakes, but rather learning from those mistakes, so they will not be repeated. I encourage them to look around and get to know their classmates. In 25 years, they will run into their classmates and realize that the success they all have, started with their decision and acceptance of making Cathedral their home.