The pandemic may have posed some challenges to the end of her undergraduate days at UMES, but Gabrielle “Gabby” Pinto came out on top—literally, among her School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences peers when it came to awarding its “Most Outstanding Student” for calendar year 2020. Pinto accepted the award virtually on April 1 at the 68th Honors Convocation.
Pinto graduated this past spring (2020) with a bachelor’s in human ecology with a concentration in child development. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in counseling education at UMES. Her educators describe her as “an intelligent, well-rounded and dedicated young woman.”
“Not only is Gabrielle an exemplary scholar, she has been successful at balancing academic commitments with extracurricular activities and part-time employment at the UMES Child and Family Development Center as a senior staff student worker,” said Dr. Grace Namwamba, professor and chair of the Department of Human Ecology.
“Gabrielle has a strong work ethic and is very passionate about children,” said Dr. Donna Long, an associate professor and director of UMES’ Child and Family Development Center.
Pinto also represented UMES and her department on the university’s Imperial Court as Miss Senior and was appointed to the student panel for the Department of Human Ecology’s reaccreditation process in October 2019. For her outstanding GPA and active involvement on and off campus, she was awarded the department’s Savoy Fund for Human Ecology scholarship.
“Gabrielle is a dedicated student that never lets an obstacle defeat her,” said Dr. April Stull, her former academic advisor. “I have watched her metamorphosis from a naïve first-year student to a mature person. I am extremely proud of her and it has been a pleasure guiding her during her academic journey. She is a testament that ‘it’s not where you start but where you finish that matters (Zig Zigler).’”
Pinto is not finished yet. Her goal is to obtain a doctorate in child psychology and become an elementary school principal.
Gail Stephens, Agricultural Communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, gcstephens@umes.edu., 410-621-3850.
