Sometimes people find themselves directing their lives towards one direction when they truthfully yearn to go down another. Coppell High School senior Nathan Gantchev found himself in such a situation while choosing his college major and life path.

Originally a nursing major, Gantchev chose stability and security.

“Nursing was a fallback for me,” Gantchev said. “Being half Filipino, it is kind of stereotypical to go down this path if you don’t know exactly what you want to do in life.“

However, Gantchev found himself in a conundrum. His passion of becoming an entertainer interfered with the vision of becoming a nurse. The idea of forgoing his dream nudged at him, causing him to redirect where his life was going.

Now planning to pursue a degree in film, Gantchev is confident in his choice to fulfill his purpose. His peers agree this is the right path for him.

“Nathan has always loved making people laugh and smile through everything he does,” CHS senior Swayam Barik said. “Film is the perfect medium for him to continue doing that and impacting others the same way he has impacted me and his other friends.”

In February, Gantchev sat down one night and considered what he actually enjoyed doing; it was not nursing. While he liked the idea of being a nurse, it is not his passion. Instead, he realized it is entertaining; he realized it is telling stories.

“That is when it came to me,” Gantchev said. “What better way to do that than through film?”

This change in decision was not unwarranted. Gantchev assisted in directing and writing a music video and short film with CHS senior Sam Godly and friends from the Christmas Institute, a ministry of the United Methodist Church designed to foster people’s faith. A project initially created to impress a girl for his friend caused him to rethink his major.

“The music video was very hard to create because of getting everything organized, getting people to want to dance and motivating others,“ Gantchev said. “But then watching what we had planned come to life was amazing to me. The feedback we received ended up fueling me to want to create more, provide more, do more.”

Now, Gantchev is working on a screenplay and short film titled “The Pineapple Incident” with fellow CHS seniors Sam Godly and Remington Sosa and Dallas Townview Magnet School freshman EJ Calado. Not wanting to disclose too much information, Gantchev provided a bit of a sneak peak.

“It is a pretty bizarre short film,“ Gantchev said. “It is about two gangs who argue over an insignificant problem. The conflict is unknown in the beginning, but the audience knows that there is tension between the groups. It basically is a drama that shifts into a comedy.”

Dedicating his time out of the classroom to foster his passion towards film, Gantchev works endlessly to create new material. “The Pineapple Incident”, which began its process in February is set to release online in mid to late April.

These artistic endeavors contributed to Gantchev’s change in major. He admits much contemplation took place before deciding to make the switch.

“You make a huge decision when deciding what you want to do career-wise because whatever you choose is what you will spend your whole life doing,” Gantchev said.

Drawing inspiration from discussions in Matthew Bowden’s AP English IV class about philosophical subjects, Gantchev connected the dots from literature to his life.

“One of the greatest tragedies in life is when a man unjustly evaluates himself,” Gantchev said. “Almost all of us are lost and we do not know what our purpose is. Once we find our purpose, we have to go and chase after it.”

After working on the music video and “The Pineapple Incident”, Godly noticed a spark in his passion.

“I can really see Nathan inspiring people with his stories and content,” Godly said. “He’s able to come up with such creative content so quickly and so well; it’s really amazing.”

Believing that following his passion and dream is his purpose, Gantchev is content with the life change he is making.

“If I do anything other than this, I won’t be fulfilling myself,” Gantchev said. “Ultimately, you have to consider who you want to be as an individual. You can live an average life, not enjoy it, and pass away. Connecting to ‘absurdism’, we don’t matter, so it is easy to live that average life. If you forgo that mentality, though, you can find meaning and purpose.”

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