Achiever Spotlight: Gabriella

Our monthly Achiever Spotlight highlights current and alumni Achievers. For current Achievers, we look at how the Friends-Boston program is impacting them today. For alumni, we see the role the program played in helping them to find success after they graduated. Their stories are part of our story, and we're excited to share them.

This month, we're highlighting a current Achiever: Gabriella*.

Gabriella is a very active and proud part of Friends-Boston. She lives with her two brothers and grandmother, and she was recently paired with one of our newest Friends (mentors) - Rue.

Gabriella's currently in the sixth grade. She really likes school and is always excited to learn. Out of all of the subjects, math is her favorite! Along with learning new things in school, Gabriella had a big dream.

Several months ago, Gabriella was telling Rue and Franny, our 2Gen Caregiver Support Specialist, that she wanted to learn Karate. Little did she know that Franny is a Martial Arts instructor. After beginning her training two months ago, Gabriella recently was awarded her white/orange belt after successfully completing her first test at East Coast School of Combined Martial Arts. She was so excited!

When talking about Gabriella, Rue had this to say: "I love spending time with Gabriella because she challenges me to think differently and courageously. She has the best sense of humor and brightens up all our spaces with her bravery, leadership, and kindness. Gabriella's a real star!"

We're excited to see what the future holds for Gabriella, and we know that there are many more successful Karate tests to come!

*Name changed