Gabi

Gabi, 21, is the young entrepreneur and barista behind Gabi’s Grounds. Since 2017, she and her mother Mary have traveled around North Carolina selling coffee, loose-leaf teas, and their branded apparel and accessories. Gabi's personal favorite menu item is their chocolate pumpkin-flavored iced coffee. When not on the road or working as a bagger at Harris Teeter, Gabi is active in ice hockey, gymnastics, breakdancing--she's self-taught!--and tennis. Recently, her tennis team played a demo before the US Open in New York City. Three weeks later, Gabi was back in the Big Apple as one of the National Down Syndrome Society Times Square jumbotron features. Gabi keeps busy with her coursework at Wake Tech; she's currently learning about budgeting and math. She says that math is sometimes "hard without calculators, but I still try." Outside of the classroom, Gabi enjoys listening to her favorites, Lauren Daigle and Matthew West, watching the series "Once Upon A Time," and keeping in touch with her boyfriend Nick (there's a viral video of the pair reuniting in the airport---you may have seen them!) In the past, Gabi has also enjoyed Special Olympics skiing, cheerleading at her high school, horseback riding, ballet, and tap dancing. She has five brothers and a Shih Tzu named Willow.