Meet the Interns: Gabby

(Legislative Intern/ Lobby Days Intern)

1. Tell us a little about yourself...

My name is Gabrielle, but I go by Gabby, two “b”’s and a “y.” I’m from Fort Lauderdale, FL but grew up in Kissimmee, FL. I am a third year student at the University of Florida pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts in Philosophy and Women Studies with a concentration in Public Affairs. I come from a Hispanic background of a Peruvian father and Brazilian mother. I have a younger brother who is 10 years younger than me, and we look nothing alike. I speak two languages fluently: Spanish and Portuguese. I am absolutely obsessed with any and all dogs, especially my own, Boomer.

2. Why are you involved with LGBT activism?

I decided to become apart of the LGBT activism in Gainesville, FL, directly, to encourage North Florida to become apart of something that was never recognized as a problem. I decided that there is nothing I could do that is more worthwhile than to educate and help lead these communities towards a diversity that some of them have never seen and should not be afraid of. In all honesty, I just want small towns like Gainesville, to see that there is so much more value to their opinion than they think.

3. Why did you want to intern at Equality Florida?

I wanted/still want to intern at Equality Florida because it is, in my opinion, the most self-efficient organization that has achieved so much recognition, respect, and success through hard work and dedication (as cliché as it may sound); the success isn’t just seen in the politics but in the way Equality Florida has worked towards gaining the support needed for that success. The change we are chasing after is so worth the time to invest and become apart of. Why wouldn’t I want to be apart of that?

4. What are your plans after you graduate?

Following graduation, I hope to attend law school, preferably in the Washington D.C. area and study Civil Rights law, but who knows, I change my mind every 30 seconds. Definitely law school. Civil Rights law, not so sure. Depending on how much progress has been made from now until then, I hopefully will not have to cross my fingers in seeing bills pass but instead be apart of the decision that passes those bills. Then again, who knows if any of this will happen, I might fall in love with something else along the way.