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Miami Palmetto High School senior Tristan Gettinger has well more than 1,000 community service hours. Many of those hours come from his participation in the Miami Dade Fire Rescue Cadet Program, his community service project called Clean Aqua and two Blue Mission trips.
He started in the Miami-Dade Cadet Program his sophomore year and will continue until he ages out of the program at age 18.
“We did the emergency medical responder course over the summer. Once a month you have to ride on the fire truck. You spend the day as a firefighter.”
When they do ride-alongs they go out on ladder trucks. He does his ride-alongs out of Station 23.
“In the case of fire, we stay by the truck with the captain and help grab equipment and watch it unfold,” he says. “Somedays we could run two calls and some days we could run 15 calls.”
He’s not sure if he wants to become a fire fighter but he wants to keep that possibility open and gain experience. His father is a fire fighter.
Gettinger and his family spend a lot of time on the family boat and love the water. He and his brother started Clean Aqua, a program to keep Miami’s waterways clean. He’s the current president.
On a regular basis, the organization goes to Matheson Hammock to clean up garbage from the park and along the beach.
“We mainly stay in the mangroves because that’s where most of the garbage hangs up,” he says. “We normally average about 130 lbs. a cleanup.”
They sell merchandise to raise money that’s donated to water-based non-profits.
“We have tee shirts, quarter zips,” he says. “We have a couple of different designs.”
They can be ordered through the @CleanAqua.inc Instagram account.
Gettinger built latrines for the people in two remote Dominican Republic villages on his Blue Mission trips.
“The first summer was with my brother and the second summer was with a group of my friends,” he says.
On the second trip he knew what to expect but at the same time, he says it was a whole new experience.
When the students arrive, they take an hours-long bus trip to the mountains. There they lay down concrete for the latrines around pre-dug holes.
“We build the latrines when the concrete dries,” he says. “We put sheets of zinc along the sides of it and the roof.”
While building the latrines they talk to the locals.
“Getting back from Blue Mission makes you appreciate getting a shower or drinking cold water,” he says.
At school, Gettinger is on the school golf team for the second year.
“Last year we went to districts and got the opportunity to go to regionals,” he says. “We have a really good golf team.”
He believes the team has the talent to go to states this year if all goes well.
He’s the vice president of the Class of ‘26. This is his third year as class vice president. He’s also the founder and president of Palmetto’s Pink Club. The Pink Club raises money to help women in Nicaragua by raising money to donate beanies, blankets and possibly pillows. He’s put together a board and will recruit members at the club fair.
Gettinger’s also a member of the National Honor Society, a Health Information Project Peer Educator and a member of Student Council and the Philosophy Club.
Currently he’s leaning toward majoring in Business in college. His application list includes the University of Florida, Florida State University, The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and Florida International University.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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