Gabriela was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, having grown up visiting family in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Gabriela developed a deep love of travel at a young age and is committed to paying forward the privilege and opportunity to travel to the next generation. Through her career working in education, she has become passionate about building the confidence and agency of students and helping them expand their worldviews and develop into global leaders. As Bay Area Programs Coordinator, she maintains a diverse portfolio of strong partner schools, recruits new schools that align with our mission, helps lead sessions and trainings for our community, and cultivates strong relationships with community and education leaders across the Bay Area region. Gabriela graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Global Studies and a minor in Music. When not at work, you can find her spending time with loved ones, singing and playing music all around the Bay Area, gardening, watching documentaries, and bonding with her cat.