Countdown to Commencement: Gabriella Kielbasinski

Gabriella Kielbasinski says as soon as she visited Fisher, she knew it was the college for her. The political science and Spanish major is our next featured senior in the 2019 Countdown to Commencement series; she was nominated by Dr. Sebastien Lazardeux, professor and chair of the Political Science Department.

Since her freshman year, Gabriella has become involved in many clubs and activities, even starting some herself. Fitting for a student who came to Fisher knowing she wanted to pursue a career in advocacy where she could challenge current issues.

She is president of the Political Activism Club; editor-in-chief of The Review, the undergraduate research journal; and a member of the executive board of the Service Scholar Program. As a Service Scholar, she has spent four years volunteering for a variety of organizations around Rochester, including Younglife, Wyldlife, and Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse. Kielbasinski is also a member of the CORE Team for the Office of Freshman Admissions, where she helps to train student ambassadors and manage prospective student events. This year, she served as the CORE Team’s first-ever social media intern, working with the freshman admissions team as well as the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Academically, she has excelled in many ways. She is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, which is the National Political Science Honor Society. Kielbasinski has also received two best paper awards; one for the Pi Sigma Alpha Local Paper Competition and one for the New York State Political Science Association Meeting Panel.

According to Lazardeux, she has “considerably improved the level of civic engagement on campus,” through her founding of FIS(HER), an event that honors and celebrates female empowerment.

“Gabby has impacted me and the way I do my work in two major ways. First, she has taught me to be a better academic mentor. Second, she has given me the gift for which teachers strive – the feeling that we have made a difference in a person’s life by giving them an appreciation for new forms of knowledge,” he said.