Diving into the life of Jack Gutman | Humans of Catlin Gabel

By Ayaan Sait ‘24

Jack Gutman ‘24 can be seen around the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) campus shooting hoops on the JV basketball squad, throwing in track and field in the spring, or suiting his iconic grey outfit, the “groutfit.” But, how many of us at CGS really know who Jack Gutman actually is?

Jack was born in California and lived there until he was seven years old. He was born with skin cancer, which was found in his left ear. It was treated when he was six to seven years old, and he describes it as “not that big of a deal and irrelevant to my life now.”

Jack says the only lasting part of his cancer is “now I am able to sleep on both sides because of all the surgeries on my left side. I also remember getting Krispy Kreme after every surgery too.”

Around the same time Jack was being treated for cancer, he started getting into the New York Giants. “I became a fan in 2012. My dad’s a Giants fan because he grew up in New York, and I was like this seems fun, and I became a Giants fan,” said Jack.

Jack said, “I was definitely very obsessed with the Giants in seventh or eighth grade, and was probably my peak as a fan. I can’t really be obsessed with them now, since we [the Giants] suck.” However, one thing you can still notice is that Jack often wears a lot of Giants-themed outfits.

*Jack Gutman’s wardrobe. Image by Jack Gutman ‘24.*

Jack’s methodology for his outfits is “function over fashion”, which means he can often be seen rocking a “groutfit”, a fully gray outfit with gray sweatpants and a gray hoodie. Jack said, “I really like sweatpants because they are really comfortable. Hoodies too.”

“Why do my outfits tend to be gray? I don’t really know, I don’t pay attention to the color. I try not to bring myself much attention with how I dress, which is kind of ironic given how I act and wearing the groutfit every day,” said Jack.

Jack is known for not really attending out-of-school events. He said, “I honestly have a very small social battery, and I wish I didn’t. At school, I can get along with like everyone, but outside of school I need my alone time.”

He also described how he feels “socially fulfilled” from school, and does not need anything more than that.

At school, Jack describes himself as being loud and boisterous, but also he acts like who he is as a person at school. “There are some people I have a mutual respect with at CGS because they know I am deeper than what I just give off at school.”

“I am just trying to be a guy because I am so unbothered by what people think of me. I want to be a chaotic good. I think it’s important to try and make the world a better place every day, and brightening the lives of others is my way of doing it,” said Jack.

Jack Gutman giving his Vice President Speech. Image by Ayaan Sait ‘24

One of the most memorable ways Jack has done this at Catlin Gabel is from his two speeches last year, one given in his failed CGSA Vice President campaign and one given while running for senior co-class president. Jack cracked jokes and made the entire audience laugh, while ultimately falling a little short of winning, one could argue he was the true winner of our hearts. However, he also did receive a lot of confusion and concern from people.

I followed up about not being bothered by people’s opinions, to which he responded: “Yes, I do think to an extent I really am not bothered about what people think of me. I have somewhat of my guard up at school, but I still think there is a part of my authentic self being represented at school.”

He also describes how he has been getting back into reading. “I really like reading because it helps me get in tune with my outside-of-school self. I think reading is very helpful for learning, understanding, and articulation and it helps me improve on being well-spoken.” He is currently reading “Possession” by A. S. Byatt, and just finished reading “The Ghost Writer” by Philip Roth.

Outside of school, Jack enjoys single-player games as an enjoyable contrast to reading. His favorite games are Sekiro and Elden Ring, and he is currently playing Batman Arkham Asylum. He also spends a lot of time with his dog and family.

Jack will be attending Carleton College in Minnesota next fall, but he describes how he doesn’t know what he will be majoring in. “As you can tell by my hobbies, I do not really have that one passion, and without that passion, I don’t think I’d be able to have a set-in-stone future plan.”

He does have a dream life, though. “I would love to fall in love with a girl, move into a semi-remote cabin in Minnesota or Vermont in a little town, and just live in solitude. I have no idea what my job would be, but if I had to pick I would like to be a therapist because I think it ties to my love for talking and helping people.”

In regards to his relationships with people at CGS, Jack probably won’t stay in touch with too many people after graduation. “I really don’t hate anyone at Catlin, I feel like I’m socially fulfilled. I’m not gonna blow anyone off next year if they want to meet in Minnesota, but I have no social media presence, and I am not going to reunions.”

“Realistically, I probably won’t see anyone outside of high school ever,” said Jack. So, in these last few weeks before graduation, make an effort to get to know Jack and all the other seniors, because you never truly know if you will ever see them again.