Gabriela Pascuzzi, a Linguistics and Professional Writing double major, is the perfect human concoction of hilarious, intelligent and ambitious. She immerses herself in the finest aspects of CMU and finds light in the darkest places (only a true optimist could convey deep disappointment that the “Underground” discontinued the “Mushrooben”). Don’t be surprised if you want to be friends with her after you read on. Or you most likely already are.
Pascuzzi is an Andrew Ambassador, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, a writing tutor at the Global Communications Center and a Head Orientation Counselor for Donner House this coming summer. When asked what her favorite experience at CMU has been, she states,
“It’s a tie…first: being here over the summer and meeting people I normally wouldn’t during the school year, and taking advantage of all the free/cheap concerts and beautiful sun. Second: Working on Booth with my sorority. It doesn’t get better than the combination of sisterhood bonding in the weeks leading up to Midway opening, and the satisfaction of an amazing end result afterwards.”
Pascuzzi is a (purple) people-y person. Orientation week is one of her favorite campus events, and this summer she plans to stay in Pittsburgh and commit her energies to working on Orientation full-time.
“I’m really excited to stay in one of my favorite cities and work alongside Tommy Sterling and Natalie Giannangeli, two other HOCs. Tommy and I are going to eat pizza cones every day.”
The incoming freshman will have a lot to look forward to this August. Pascuzzi is a beaming representation of the campus community, and who better to help orientate our incoming classmates than her?
When asked what she wants to do after graduation, Pascuzzi says she isn’t sure yet. She wants to use her majors to work with people, write and manage projects.
She jokes, “One time my little said I was good at writing e-mails and managing people. Is professional e-mailer a job?”
And then seriously, “I’m from the Philippines so I’ve definitely thought about returning and teaching English there at some point.”
Luckily, CMU has Pascuzzi for one more year. People like her are hard to come by: she can make the bleakest and yuckiest days somehow bright and cheerful.