Born two days after Christmas, Gabrielle Cole, has spent her life imbued and overflowing with the joy of living. As a child, she was often quite spirited, earning her the title of Diva, to which she has been trying to live down her entire teenage life. Once, at the age of four, she declared frankly to her mother that she refused to have joint Christmas and birthday gifts; as such an arrangement cut her toy collection in half. Instead, she demanded that she have separate birthday and Christmas gifts just as everyone else, whose birthdays were lucky enough not to fall near Jesus’. At the age of seven, she had already started a very profitable lemonade and cookie stand, whose profits she carefully tucked away under her bed for safekeeping. By twelve Lynette’s Cookies (named after her middle name) was off a running.
However, her fiery character has been tempered by time and although she still is unafraid to speak clearly and confidently when the time arises, she is now usually more laid back. She has a secret love of classical music, although she cannot pronounce their composers’ names. She loves to sit by the widow when it rains. She loves when people disagree with her opinions believing that differences make life interesting. She’s never met a cookie that she doesn’t like. She’s quick to laugh and uncomfortable writing in the third person. She is a dreamer and at time ridiculous. She is s patchwork quilt of her family, her fears, her community, and her dreams.
As a student, Gabrielle did not begin to take her studies seriously until eighth grade, due to her personal immaturity, as she is the first to admit. However, it is in high school that she found her niche. In high school, she attempted to experience everything she could, from community service to sports to student government, and found that she enjoyed all three. Through community service she was able to give back to those closest to her. She was especially active in developing new programs to bridge the achievement gap by working with the local middle and elementary schools. In sports, she was able to create a new circle of lifelong friends and develop her character as a competitor. Finally, though student government, Gabrielle was able to improve the high school experience of many of her peers and thus again act out her motto: help those closest to you. Nevertheless, academics came first and by the grace of God, she was able to accomplish many things both academically and in her extracurricular activities during her almost four years at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
After high school she entered into Princeton’s Class of 2013 where she chose to concentrate in Philosophy. She was actively involved in student government again, serving as her class vice-president and a member of her residential college board. Although she chose not to pursue basketball and track in college she picked up a new sport when she decided to walk on to the rowing team. She qualified to row at NCAA’s her first year in the second varsity boat and placed 4th at NCAA’s in her junior year in the varsity boat. In the summer of 2012 she also competed at the 23 and Under Rowing World Championships and won gold. She intends to pursue rowing at the Olympic level after graduation and afterwards enter law school.
