Gabrielle has worked as an instructor, counselor, consultant and leader in academia and human service for over two decades; in San Diego, Hawaii, East Africa and Europe.  She was raised in Toronto, Canada and the San Francisco Bay Area in a multicultural, multilingual and multi-generational home.  She credits her broad cultural experience, especially in East Africa, as her greatest asset in understanding the importance of community. Gabrielle holds a BA in Africana History, MA in Counseling, Multiculturalism/Cross Cultural Education and specialized training in trauma informed care, culturally responsive counseling, and inclusive and belonging pedagogy. 

In Gabrielle’s current role leading the CalWORKs/New Horizons Department at Grossmont College, she engages daily with a diverse department serving students who speak over 27 languages and transcends socioeconomic barriers.  Utilizing her familiarity with the French, Italian, and Kinyarwanda languages, while incorporating a holistic counseling philosophy focused on the strengths of a dynamic student population, she has excelled at simultaneously supporting the needs of individual students, fostering equity and inclusivity, and celebrating the heterogeneity of the Grossmont campus community.   

She has received numerous awards, including the 2022 Grossmont College Faculty Excellence Award in Counseling, the 2018 Grossmont Faculty Advisor of the Year, the 2015 Southwestern College Outstanding Adjunct in Counseling Service, and the 2009 San Diego Community College District Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award.