Gabriel was born in Santa Ana, El Salvador. At age seven, he migrated to the United States with his mother to reunite with his father, who had left El Salvador four years earlier. He grew up in Koreatown in Los Angeles, California, and later moved to the Bay Area to attend the University of California, Berkeley. He graduated as a first-generation, low-income, undocumented student with a bachelor’s in Data Science with an emphasis in science, technology, and society.
Toward the end of his time at Berkeley, Gabriel stopped letting his status hold him back and began creating his own opportunities by exploring the intersection between entrepreneurship and technology. Launching his own graphic T-shirt business, Graphic Stitch Wear, entering NavigatEd into UndocuStartup Bootcamp Week, and learning about responsible AI usage and its broader ethical and community impacts through Hack the Hood are all experiences that helped Gabriel gain clarity for the kind of work he would like to pursue. He now aspires to become a digital solutions consultant working with clients to identify their challenges and develop tech solutions that help them better serve their communities. Through his work, he also hopes to inspire other first-generation individuals to pursue their dreams.
Gabriel was placed at Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) for the DreamSF Fellowship. At MUA, he supports the Data and Reporting team by collecting and analyzing data, assisting with outreach, and working on implementing any digital solutions to promote and facilitate personal transformation and community building for Latina and indigenous women.
During his free time, Gabriel enjoys working out, binge-watching shows, and going on city rides on his electric unicycle. Currently, he is rewatching his favorite show of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
