Gabrielle Gumbs

Student

“SMC is a place where you can come to, be on your own, and really find out who you are and what you want to do.”

“The culture at SMC is so diverse, and I like that a lot,” says Gabrielle Gumbs with typical enthusiasm. “My family comes from Panama, so I fit into two worlds: most people think I’m African American, but I’m not. And though I grew up here, I speak Spanish—which is a plus,” she continues. “And I’ve stayed at SMC because it’s so culturally mixed and open. It’s really a very calm oasis of great people in the middle of a big, wild city.”

It’s quite fitting that Gabrielle—with her two cultures—has her sights set on more than one possible future. “I’m preparing for the Nursing program as my major, but I’m also minoring in TV and film because I really love acting,” she says. “I’ve always been drawn to medicine and—as a career—it would be really great to have that to fall back on if the acting thing doesn’t work out. But I do love show business—I’ve done a lot of industrial films and small things on TV—and I hope that will all work out.” But Gabrielle is far from star-struck, and she’s working on the nuts and bolts of making a good life, an Emmy award notwithstanding.

“Having a degree is something that I’ve always known I should do,” she says. “And SMC has been a great place for me to study—since 1993!” she adds with a laugh. “I just had a speech class with Professor Darryl Ogata, and he’s the best teacher I’ve ever had. He made us work hard, but he also made everything he said clear and very friendly. And his tests are very tough,” she continues, “but that’s a good thing, because any kind of dream you have is just that—a dream—unless you’re willing to back it up with a lot of work.”

Back