And it was all in service of becoming what Gabriel calls a “transformational leader,” someone who has harnessed her calling and translated it into action.
Learning to sew as a little girl inspired her love of fashion and design, and since graduating from the University of North Texas she has launched her own sustainable clothing line, R’Bonney Nola, and teaches sewing to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She is also a lead instructor at Magpies & Peacocks, a non-profit design center in Houston. (And if one day that action extends to dressing Beyoncé, so be it: “She’s a Houston girl, I’m a Houston girl, and I admire her so much,” Gabriel said when asked to name her dream celebrity client, “so I’m going to put that out there.”)
Ultimately, she concluded, making it all the way to Miss Universe reinforced why she started competing in pageants in the first place, “not only to be a better communicator, but to amplify my voice using fashion as a force for good, pushing more sustainability in that industry and inspiring people,” she explained. “My purpose is something that nobody can take away from me. People can take away my prizes or my team, or different perks of the title, but they could never take away my goals and my dreams.”
“I’m using my passion that I’ve realized to transform lives,” she said, “and I really hope this message resonates with people, to understand that we all have a gift to give to the world.”