From DREAM To Reality: Gialdri Gomez's Division I Journey
2/12/2026 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida Baseball junior outfielder Gialdri Gomez grew up with dreams of playing the game at the highest collegiate level. To do so, he was tasked at an early age with becoming the first attendee from the DREAM program to ever play baseball at the Division I level.
Gomez grew up in The Bronx, N.Y., and attended the DREAM program from the first to eighth grade. The program was initiated in 1991 as Harlem RBI and still acts as a non-profit youth development organization with charter schools based in East Harlem and the South Bronx.
The DREAM program provides sports-based youth development and serves over 2,500 students aiming to elevate their athletic play, academics and lifestyle decisions.
"The main goal and the backbone of the program is to let kids know, especially from the inner city, that you don't have to grow up and be a statistic," Gomez said. "You can be the next president. You can be an astronaut. You can be a teacher. Whatever it is that you aspire to be, you can do that."
For Gomez, it was becoming an elite college baseball player. Gomez emphasized he likely wouldn't have reached the heights he did as an athlete without DREAM, stemming from the discipline and positive reinforcement the administration consistently reiterated within the program.
An essential purpose of the DREAM program wasn't just to aid youth growing up in the inner cities of New York, but to prepare them for success in and out of the classroom for years to come.
"That's the whole point is to build that foundation so that when you're on your own, you know what to do, and you don't make choices that you shouldn't," Gomez said. "It's a great program with great people, and I have a lot of lifelong friends that I've met that I've known since we were little kids. It's amazing what they do."
As part of the DREAM program, Gomez had the opportunity to speak at Carnegie Hall in New York City for a fundraising event. However, an unexpected appearance on stage by a former New York Yankees World Series Champion created a memory that will last with Gomez forever.
"They introduced Mark Texeira onto the stage because he was one of the board members," Gomez said. "I will never forget he signed some baseballs for me. I was a little kid and he was one of my favorite players ever."
One of Gomez's favorite baseball memories from the DREAM program was winning its league championship when he was in sixth grade, doing so among childhood friends and parents who were close. Gomez later went on to attend and play for Pearl River High School in Pearl River, N.Y.
Throughout his initial recruiting process with North Florida, Gomez was pleasantly surprised that UNF Head Coach Joe Mercadante had a familiarity with the Harlem RBI (DREAM) program.
"He was actually recruiting me back in 2022 and he told me on the phone, it's kind of like a full circle moment, he told me that he 'knew a little bit about the RBI program', which was pretty nice," Gomez said. "I got in contact with [Mercadante] and I knew right from the jump that the coaching staff [was strong]. I knew it was going to be a great fit from the get go."
Moving to Florida from the Northeast, Gomez stated that it's is a great place to be especially for baseball, and his numbers from last year back it up.
Gomez transferred to North Florida this offseason after playing two seasons at Seminole State College. Last season, Gomez played in 29 games with 89 at bats, posting a .393 batting average, a .463 on base percentage and .472 slugging. He registered a .523 batting average in games that Seminole State College won while totaling 19 runs and 19 RBI.
For the Ospreys, Gomez wants to be mindful, a good teammate, a good friend and a player that's coachable. As Gomez gears up to play a pivotal role in North Florida's outfield this spring, he remains humble in his roots. Acknowledging he likely wouldn't have accomplished his dreams without the DREAM program itself.
"It's special, Gomez said. "I was in this program my whole life and my goal was always to play baseball at a high level. I had a goal and I worked for it, but [DREAM] always helped me get here."
