Starting his year at La Salle after living across the globe, sophomore Gordon Thomas is looking to end his year strong.

Thomas has been to 12 countries all around Europe. For him, the experience was sometimes challenging because of the amount of traveling he had to do and school he sometimes had to miss. But, that didn’t stop him from exploring and learning the history of the continent.

“We went to the Netherlands and saw a lot of things,” he said. “For example, the Anne Frank house and a lot of things from World War Two.”

Thomas had to move to Belgium from the United States because of his father’s work. Among the most challenging aspects was adjusting to the learning curve of a European school system and the language barrier that he had to face during his time in Europe. 

“I went to an immersion school for six months and then I went to a regular school for a year and then I came back.”

From traveling all around Europe while doing school and exploring its nature, Thomas has learned the difficult aspects of going to school on a whole different continent.

Despite his time in Europe, his transition to La Salle has been going well – especially when it comes to meeting a completely new community. 

“There’s a lot of really nice people,” he said. “It’s been a smooth transition.”

Thomas enjoys his classes and getting to know his teachers and their workflow. “It’s just interesting to be in class,” he said. “Science can often be really boring, but [Mr. Owen] makes the lessons fun and interactive and enjoyable.”

Thomas not only focuses his attention in the classroom, but on the field and the court. 

Being a multi-sport athlete, a lot of his time and effort is dedicated to running or shooting a basketball. Thomas grew up playing basketball for a lot of his life. Even when not on a team, he loves how he is able to just shoot around with his friends and have a great time with them. 

“It’s just so much fun to hoop,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything more fun than that.” 

He plays guard, and one key role that he brings to the La Salle JV basketball team is facilitating the ball for his teammates. He knows that as a guard you need to create the shots for the others and that is one of his specialties.

“I just have a pass-first mentality where I just like creating for other people,” he said. “I just don’t think to shoot a lot.”

Covid is still an issue, but with many guidelines gone, many athletes are happy that masks are out of sight. Thomas is one of those people, “it’s nice to be back to like sports without masks,” he said.

Thomas is looking forward to what the future holds for him as a Falcon. He hopes to make varsity in the future, and further strive to grow in all facets of his life.