Solving Problems and Working With Others

Gabriela Gonzalez Found Her Team in a Robotics Pit, and Never Left

Gabriela Gonzalez was 15 and, by her own description, a little shy when she joined her school's robotics program. She remembers her first competition clearly: standing in Corpus Christi with her sister and friends, watching the robot her team had built actually compete.

"I realized that I loved working with other people, solving problems, and seeing an idea turn into something real," Gabriela said. That moment shaped the next four years of her life, and the direction of her career.

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A Family That Paved the Way

Gabriela isn't the first in her family to earn a college degree. Her second-oldest brother has an associate's degree from Del Mar College, and her oldest sister, Jasmine, was the first to graduate with a bachelor's, in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. "Seeing her build a career and comfortable life through engineering showed me what was possible for me," Gabriela said.

Her parents built that foundation. Her father immigrated from Mexico to Corpus Christi at 17 years old and started his life over. Her mother has worked as a billing associate at AEP for 25 years. "Both of my parents began working at a young age and experienced financial struggles throughout their lives," Gabriela said. "Watching them work hard to build a life for my siblings and me has shown me the value of persistence and independence."

Four Years in the Pit

Gabriela spent all four years of high school with Droid Rage Robotics, competing in FIRST Robotics events across Texas and reaching the World Championship three times. She learned CAD design on Onshape, sharpened her communication skills working with sponsors, and found what she calls lifelong friends. She also helped lead the program's outreach, introducing younger students to STEM through summer camps and STEM nights.

Robotics wasn't her only commitment. Gabriela served as President of Mu Alpha Theta, Vice President of the National English Honor Society, Treasurer of the Science National Honor Society, and Treasurer of her Senior Council, and she qualified for the state DECA competition two years in a row. Outside of school, she volunteered with the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program and at Valero's STEM Day by the Bay at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History.

What's Next

Gabriela is now studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio's Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design, where she was invited into the Bold Scholars program, a four-year student success initiative built around a living-learning community and career-focused experience. She's already joined UTSA's Society of Women Engineers and plans to get involved in more organizations as she settles in. She's still deciding on a specific career path after graduation, though AEP Texas and Intertek are both on her radar.

Gabriela's story is a reminder of what the Frazier Family Foundation believes: that intelligent and creative minds should never go untapped because of where someone lives or circumstances beyond their control. Gabriela built her foundation in a robotics pit, in classroom leadership roles, and in a family that showed her what was possible, long before the Foundation entered the picture. The scholarship is there to help her keep building.

Learn more about our scholars and the Frazier Family Foundation’s mission to open doors for tomorrow’s leaders at https://www.frazierff.org/news.