Bubbly, outgoing, reliable – these are just a few words to describe Gabriella Way, a junior at Olivet Nazarene University. A student majoring in Multimedia Communication and minoring in Spanish, with such a vibrant, go-get-’em attitude, Way could be friends with anyone and everyone. There are many things that make her unique.
Prior to coming to Olivet, Waywas involved with a plethora of different activities in high school, each one fulfilling an itch that she had, such as photography or leadership. For all four years of high school, Gabbie participated in cheerleading and was captain for three of the four years, wherein she led a lot of the events and cheers and organized much of the routines.
Her senior year, she took part in yearbook and student council, where her love of photography developed into a fun hobby and her leadership skills were strengthened after being in charge of many events. Her favorite activity in high school was the leadership aspect in student council.
“I got to be in charge of a lot of events, and that was really fun, especially when it came to homecoming, since I was on the homecoming court and that was our big event. Being in charge of such big stuff like that, while also being a part of it, was really fun,” says Way.
Over the winter and summer breaks, Way works at a Kay’s Jewelry Store, which she considers a primer for her to get into a career field involving communications. At Kay’s, she gets to connect with a lot of different people and learn about them in a short period of time, all to help her get a feel for who this person is, what their tastes in jewelry are like, and what she can pick out would be the perfect piece for her clients.
One would never guess that Gabbie gets nervous when it comes to talking to people; she excels at being a communicative person, and she has the COMM Department to thank for her growing skills.
“I switched from an education major to communications and it’s been a lot better for me as a person who enjoys leadership roles to extend my ability to talk in front of large crowds and things of that sort.”
“I’m not quite sure yet what I want to do for work in the future,” says Gabbie, “but I’m set on wanting to work in an environment where I can talk to people and build relationships in ways similar to that at Kay’s.”
Aside from work and hobbies, Way has grown in a multitude of ways at Olivet. For example, her taste in music has seen a huge growth since coming to school. She went from being a picky listener to loving Taylor Swift and many other different genres (except country). She’s also found a strong appreciation for cooking and trying out different meals. Her close friend Nick Hughes had to help her in figuring out what her favorite food was; and it’s been decided that it’s beef lo mein.
Speaking of Hughes, he also has a lot of positive things to say about Way. Nick has been friends with Gabbie since freshman year, and has grown alongside her.
He says, “Her greatest strength is her ability to relate to people. When I’m talking about sports, she can talk about sports. When someone is going through a tough time, she’s always there to step up and be a comforting friend.” Hughes had nothing but nice things to say and considers her to be studious, attentive, caring, and of course, funny, to which Way did the “hair-behind-the-ear Debby Ryan” move.
Gabbie working hard in the COMMunity room. 
Gabbie smiles for the camera in this comfy chair. 
Gabbie’s favorite childhood activity was climbing trees. 
Gabbie showing off her Lamborghini.
