{"id":1622,"date":"2021-05-13T16:00:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T23:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/?p=1622"},"modified":"2022-10-31T12:38:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T19:38:01","slug":"catching-up-with-gabriela-triant-class-of-2011-reaching-beyond-and-making-a-difference-in-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/2021\/05\/catching-up-with-gabriela-triant-class-of-2011-reaching-beyond-and-making-a-difference-in-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Catching Up With Gabriela Triant (Class of 2011): Reaching Beyond and Making a Difference in Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hillbrook alumna Gabriela Triant, class of 2011, is no stranger to asking questions about the world, being driven by her curiosity and her pursuit of excellence, and finding out what\u2019s important to her and figuring out what to do about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what drew her to apply to medical school, Gabriela Triant, class of 2011, says, \u201cMy most significant driving force toward medicine was witnessing a family member experience a serious medical condition about six years ago. I hope the work I do can relieve and support people in similar situations.\u201d Gabriela\u2019s ambition to study medicine didn\u2019t start during her years at Hillbrook, but she learned the foundational skills and values that enabled her to notice what was important to her and take action to make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gabriela Triant, class of 2011.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A Hillbrook student from 3rd through 8th grade, Gabriela loved creating art, working on group projects, such as the 4th<\/sup> grade California missions models, and performing in the 8th<\/sup> grade musical, \u201cHonk.\u201d She also showed her school spirit and began her athletic career as a middle schooler, playing volleyball and basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of her memories of Hillbrook projects will be familiar to current students, from making Claymation videos in Ken\u2019s art class to learning Mandarin songs with Chen Lao Shi, from editing abstract photos in Mr. Stamos\u2019s photography class to learning about surface tension at the campus creek with Mr. Ravizza\u2019s science class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Gingery in particular left a lasting impression on Gabriela. \u201cI always felt encouraged by him as a student in his class,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was always extremely enthusiastic and positive. I remember he used to say to have an \u2018attitude of gratitude,\u2019 which stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gabriela (center) with Mira Straathof (left) and Aislinn Foltz-Colhour (right), graduation day, 2011.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Gabriela felt well prepared for her time at Notre Dame High School in San Jose. \u201cHillbrook provided a solid foundation so I was able to begin high school in advanced and honors courses,\u201d she says. In addition to a rigorous academic schedule, Gabriela took a risk and joined the track team at Notre Dame her sophomore year, where she competed as a varsity jumper, making State in her first season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specializing in triple jump and high jump, Gabriela took home the league triple jump title her junior and senior years and still holds the Notre Dame High School record in both events. Her pursuit of excellence in the sport paid off as she headed to college, scoring an athletic scholarship to University of California, Santa Barbara, and competing as a jumper at the Division I level for four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UCSB\u2019s biology program encouraged Gabriela to follow her curiosity, offering a wide variety of courses in both the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department and the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department. The program\u2019s strong emphasis in research drew her to her current job at Stanford Medicine focusing on clinical research in rheumatology, where she has learned how to conduct clinical studies from proposal to publication.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Members of the class of 2011 on their 7th grade trip to Catalina Island. From left, Matthew Bloch, Gabriela, Parker Whims, Ethan Heerwagen, Giulia Thomas, and Ashley Ishibashi.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Gabriela is starting medical school this summer, and in addition to her MD plans to pursue a master\u2019s in public health and certification in bilingual medical Spanish so she can treat Spanish-speaking patients, which is important to her because of her family\u2019s Salvadoran heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriela has already been using her Spanish language skills in medical contexts, volunteering as a Spanish\/English interpreter and screener at a free clinic in Downtown San Jose. When the pandemic started, this job, as well as her work at Stanford Medicine, changed drastically. In-person appointments were moved online, and skills such as physician-guided self-exams became more important. Through her clinical research, she was able to see first-hand how the pandemic was affecting people as she spoke to patients in a study focused on why some high-risk rheumatology patients were not getting flu vaccines. Her research shifted in the fall to focus on COVID-19 patients who were not hospitalized and if one could predict early on whether a patient would become seriously ill. Her work is already having an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gabriela\u2019s team at the Hillbrook Regatta. From left, Giulia Thomas, Gabriela, and Jordanne (Jo) Sanford.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When asked her advice for current Hillbrook students, Gabriela responded that she hopes they \u201cnever doubt their potential, follow their curiosities, and make an effort to learn about peoples\u2019 experiences different from their own.\u201d And when students follow their curiosities and come to the end of their knowledge, \u201cI encourage them to seek answers and not hesitate to ask questions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hillbrook Core Value to \u201cBe Your Best\u201d continues to inspire Gabriela today. \u201cMy definition of being my best captures several values of mine: acting with integrity, producing high-quality work, not comparing myself to another person, being self-aware and considerate, and embracing my unique interests and strengths.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mission and Core Values that Gabriela experienced at Hillbrook will continue to serve her as she heads to medical school as she continues to follow her curiosity, take risks, be her best, and make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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