There’s an expression that always comes to mind when it comes to this gal: “The best perfumes come in the smallest flasks.” This petite contributor has shown us that there is a fighter in her, and that she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. With this being said, you would be amazed by the drive of this girl. And a small, ferocious girl she is. With a passion for writing and editing, don’t be surprised if you find her editing the best selling books, or even her own. Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity.
Name: Gabriela M. Taboas Zayas
Age: 23
Classification: 4th year
Major: English Literature
Relationship Status: Single
Hometown: San Juan.
1. HCUPR: Tell us about yourself.
GTZ: I’m a quiet little lady with a penchant for writing and editing, an obsession for cartoons and doodles, and a weird habit of getting lost a lot.
2. HCUPR: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
GTZ: It constantly changes. One second I see myself in a nice little house somewhere on Earth, writing all my stories and editing a bunch of other people’s stories. Then next, I’m traveling all over the world and never settling down. And the next I’m standing in an elevator with Neil Gaiman next to me talking about chupacabras.
3. HCUPR: What is your greatest achievement so far?
GTZ: My greatest achievements so far is having a short story published in Tonguas last year, becoming correspondent for Her Campus, and graduating next May. Oh! And I made decent waffles for the first time.
4. HCUPR: You’re this year’s Campus Correspondent, how has that experience been so far?
GTZ: I’m doing what I love most, which is editing and writing, and that’s so much fun for me. But I also learned how to be more communicative and to be a leader, something that I avoided. I’m usually someone who avoids having too many responsibilities because I get anxious easily, but by being a CC (Campus Correspondent), I’ve learned how to balance all my responsibilities and have more confidence in myself, but to depend on others for the parts that I fall back on. It’s a learning process.
5. HCUPR: What are your plans with your major?
GTZ: Write about crazy mishaps in Puerto Rico, distant planets, not so distant planets, an alternate planet, write about a pirate, a witch, and a plant, try drawing some comics, write articles about art and literature, edit articles about art and literature, I just want to write about anything anywhere in the world. Maybe even be a writer in a cartoon show or a youtube channel!
6. HCUPR: Something not many people know about you.
GTZ: I was a Girl Scout in Middle School. Seriously. That, and I’m a perfectionist to the point that I sometimes avoid doing things until the last minute because I get so anxious about everything. And I have a toy skull named René Shakespeare.
7. HCUPR: Who is your role model and why?
GTZ: Oh man, I have so many, but at the very top of the list would be my mom. She may not see it, she thinks she hasn’t accomplished much in her life, but I see her as the strongest, bravest, and funniest human beings I’ve met, and I think she’s an amazingly successful woman for her beautiful optimism. We’ve had a rough couple of years together, but she was and is my home and anchor when I felt like I was losing my mind. She taught me to treasure the little things and to love fiercely even after the heartbreak. I also admire my grandfather, en paz descanse. He was a brilliant, flawed man who hated doctors and was obsessed with chess. I wish I could say so much more about him, but sometimes words aren’t enough.
8. HCUPR: Ideal date and partner.
GTZ: Oh god, I seriously have no clue…I guess anything with food or coffee mixed into it! As for a partner, someone who can make me laugh, who can cook cause I can barely make a decent waffle without burning the edges, who can tolerate my corny jokes and puns, and will dance with me in our underwear to Alabama Shakes at 3am. That or a cat. Maybe a dog.
9. HCUPR: If you could do anything without getting caught what would it be and why?
GTZ: See, here’s the thing: I’m sarcastic and I can swear like a sailor but I’m too much of a goody-two shoes to do something illegal without getting a cardiac arrest. One time I apologized to a bush because I crashed into it. A bush. Therefore, I’d probably either travel around the world without paying a dime or rob a bank. The classics.
10. HCUPR: Favorite quote.
GTZ: I have three: “Be humble, for you are made of earth; be noble, for you are made of stars,” “Let go or be dragged,” and “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
11. HCUPR: Describe yourself in 3 words
GTZ: Creative, quiet, and sarcastic.