A plenitude of qualities comes to mind when one hears the name Gisselle Lucia Gonzalez: intelligent, exemplary, dedicated, diligent, and lucid, among many others. An International Baccalaureate (IB) junior, Gonzalez could be considered the quintessential renaissance woman; she is bilingual in English and Spanish, Secretary-elect of the rising senior class, an Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar, Historian of the National Spanish Honor Society (NSHS) and the Museum Project and an active member of several clubs, namely the National Honor Society (NHS), Speech and Debate and Key Club. She was born and raised in Miami, and is a proud, independent Hispanic woman.

“I like to contribute to Gables by being very active in extracurricular activities such as NHS, NSHS, and Key Club, as well as Speech and Debate, but now, I feel like being part of the senior class board will give me a better opportunity to give back to Gables and serve the people that elected me,” Gonzalez said.

Gisselle endeavors constantly to be the best that she can be. She challenges herself scholastically through AP classes, of which she is currently taking five,  and spends her free time making connections with others and socializing. While she is very conscientious about her diet, Gonzalez is an avid fan of sweets (albeit in moderation) but prefers to eat healthily and watch her food intake. A favorite pastime of hers is drinking coffee and scrolling through Instagram and Vine while shamelessly procrastinating on her usual miscellany of IB deadlines. When asked about her favorite teacher this school year, she deliberated thoughtfully before deciding on Mrs. Verazain.

“This is really hard, but honestly, I would say that my favorite teacher this year is Mrs. Verazain, because she truly cares for every one of her students and is so passionate about the Spanish language and culture, and if you’re struggling, she’s there to help you learn because she wants you to succeed. She’s truly amazing and wants to make a change, and throughout the school year, Mrs. Verazain has been there for me, whether I was stressing out over an IB deadline or just generally stressed. I consider her to be my mentor,” Gonzalez said.

As an ardent feminist, Gonzalez recognizes the inequality of the sexes and strives for egalitarian ideals. She has full faith in the universal truth that everyone deserves an equal opportunity and strongly identifies with messages sent by pop culture icons Beyoncé Knowles, through one of her more recent hits, ***Flawless, and Katy Perry, whose recent performance at the Grammy awards ceremony elucidated the rampant pervasiveness of domestic abuse. However, she thinks that society is evolving and is becoming more accepting of everyone.

“I think today’s culture has really become more tolerant and accepting of women’s right and equality, but I feel like there are still parts of the world like the Middle East that need to work on it; I think that in the future feminism will achieve the recognition that it deserves… more and more people are opening their eyes and realizing that women have the right to be equal,” Gonzalez said.

In her totality, Gisselle Gonzalez stands out among the rest, saliently, and essays constantly to make a sincere difference at Gables and maximize her time here as a Cavalier. In the future, she plans to attain a Juris Doctor at New York University and thereafter work as a corporate attorney.