Sitting lotus-legged in a floral print blouse, Gabrielle patiently awaited for me – my clock ticks on tropical time. I apologized profusely, but like a warm cup of jasmine tea with a hint of agave, she emanated a wave of calm that quickly soothed my flustered disposition. We settled on a concrete bench near the outskirts of Placita de Chardón, exchanging formalities before she unravelled the story behind her being. Fresh-faced as freshmen come, she accounted her tremendously successful first semester. Gabrielle is not only a writer for Her Campus, but also a dancer on UPRM’s official dance team. She’s arrived at El Colegio on the right foot, with a skip in her step and a pirouette in her chassè. After a decade of ballet lessons in the Western Ballet Theatre, doors have swung open for Gabrielle. She even had the honor of dancing in New York City’s own Puerto Rican parade!
She’s also danced in several Western Ballet Theatre productions, including Swan Lake, the Nutcracker (in which she led the Arabian Dance, *fangirl shriek*), Dracula, and Romeo & Juliet to name just a few. Now that she’s a full-fledged collegiette, her ballet career has transcended through jazz, salsa, and modern dance. She might not have the time to balance UPRM’s dance team practices with Western Ballet’s performances anymore, and as much as she “[misses] it every friggin’ day,” she realizes the importance of exploring new opportunities… which is precisely what brought her to us here at Her Campus!
Gabrielle is an English major with a knack for writing short stories. Her principal inspiration was Twilight – don’t judge, we were all preteens once upon a time – and after reading the fantasy novel, something awoke in Gabrielle: the compelling urge to manifest her imagination on paper. Her novel is still in it’s prenatal stage, but her thirst for creative expression is inherent and undying. “You know how we all have a really big dream?” she asked, gazing past my shoulder into the abyss of the future. “Well, my dream is to work [as a professor] in NYU or maybe London.” Watch out, not only is she talented, she is mad driven. “I have made a promise to myself to coger cualquier oportunidad que me llegue.” I hope you all speak Spanglish ‘cause it’s trending harder than eyebrows on fleek; for those who don’t, I’ll sum it up for you. Gabrielle is an open heart, open book, and open to opportunities. Keep an eye out for her future articles and dance performances, I promise you will not be disappointed!