Mr. GesinMr. Gesin, a chemistry and science teacher at Carmel Christian, has become a pillar within the school body. Due to his relaxed classroom environment and easy-going nature, Gesin is a fan-favorite among the student body. However, many are unaware of Gesin’s  story that helped shape him into who he is and what he does today.

  Gesin was born in New Jersey, where he lived for two years until his family moved to a smaller town in upstate New York. Gesin described his hometown as beautiful, being located close to nature and the Finger Lakes, a group of five lakes in the northern part of New York.

As a child, Gesin and his family were regular church attendees. One day during an after-school Bible study for children, he heard the verse John 14:6, which states that “[Jesus] is the way, the truth and the life.” This led to his acceptance of Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and from that point on, he was very active in his church life, participating in youth groups and even preaching a few messages.

Once he reached high school, Gesin was a member of various clubs and sports teams such as the basketball team, the band and the brass choir. He described these activities as “always a really good time.” Gesin’s high school was not very large as his class consisted of about 170 students.

Graduating high school provided Gesin with the opportunity to finally find and study a major he was interested in. Syracuse was a natural choice for Gesin, as he lived only 30 minutes away from campus. After his sophomore year, Gesin made the transfer to Cedarville University, a Christian school, where he majored in biology and minored in chemistry. All throughout his college career, Gesin remained solid in his faith and continued to be active in various churches.

Originally planning on going into medical school after college, Gesin did his best to pursue this dream; however, after his goals didn’t pan out, a friend approached him and mentioned becoming a teacher, taking notice of the lecturing skills he had developed during his time preaching and volunteering at church. Considering the possibility and eventually taking his friend up on his idea, Gesin went to the State University of New York, where he got his education degree and certification.

While Gesin was preparing to enter the field of education, he was dating a girl he would eventually marry after finishing his time at the State University of New York. Shortly after, Gesin got his first teaching job at a small Christian school close to his home, where he taught for a few years, building up his credibility as a capable science teacher. On top of teaching, Gesin also assisted in coaching the boy’s basketball team for the school, having prior experience with the sport due to originally playing it in high school.

Gesin was recommended to teach at a school in Puerto Rico by an old friend.  Gesin’s wife was born in Puerto Rico which was the confirmation he needed to contact the school. At this time, Gesin was working in the retail industry which he did not want to continue. Soon after Gesin contacted the school, they gave him a phone call back to inform him of his acceptance. After being accepted, he and his wife moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico for three years where their first son was born. 

After living in Puerto Rico for three years, Gesin and his family moved to South Florida close to Fort Lauderdale. Gesin taught at a school in Florida  for 10 years. During this time, his other two sons were born. Gesin transferred to another school in Fort Lauderdale named Coral Springs Christian Academy where he raised his children. Once their boys were old enough, Gesin’s wife got a job teaching Health and Spanish. He enjoyed watching their boys participate in sports such as football, basketball and track. All three of their boys graduated from Coral Springs.

Due to unfortunate financial issues, Coral Springs Academy had to close down. Gesin finished the school year out and started to look for jobs elsewhere. He applied to multiple Christian Schools, Carmel being one of them. The recently retired Dr. Kelly informed Gesin of their interest in him. He flew up to Charlotte and toured Carmel for the day. After traveling back to Florida, he received another phone call from Dr. Kelly where he was offered a position.

In 2018, Gesin made the move to Matthews, and has worked at Carmel Christian School since then. Gesin has primarily taught chemistry during his time on campus, but he has also taught various other courses, such as AP Biology and even a new course of his creation, Science and Faith. So far Gesin’s favorite part of working at Carmel has been getting to know his coworkers, and building relationships with them.

“I’ve made some really close, good friends [at Carmel] that really see life as I see it, and we’ve really been able to encourage each other and support one another.”

Now-a-days, Gesin can be found on the second floor of the school building, typically teaching 10th-grade chemistry. Gesin’s classes continue to captivate students every day as he combines his love for the creation and the Creator.