Gabriela is an experienced international development professional skilled in advocacy, research and cross-sectoral partnerships. She holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and a Bachelor of Science in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University. As an American with roots in the Dominican Republic, she has dedicated the last three years of her life to furthering her knowledge of and deepening her involvement in youth-led climate initiatives, hoping to support environmental leadership in the Americas and beyond. She is a volunteer with Care About Climate, the Sant’ Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue, and the United Nations Association in the Dominican Republic. 

She has experience in leading sustainable agriculture projects, mobilizing civil society, and serving as a student leader during her undergraduate and graduate studies. In January 2020, she conducted field research with the International Executive Service Corps for her Masters thesis, which addressed the socioeconomic impact of avocado harvesting in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. She hopes this topic continues to foster debate on the multidimensional repercussions of monocultures across developing countries, and the need to engage sustainably with ecosystems across the globe.

She has lived in the Dominican Republic, Switzerland and the United States, and worked for institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the British Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the State Department of the United States.  

She is excited to bring her experience to Care About Climate, and looks forward to empowering current and succeeding generations of COP youth leaders.