Whiz Kid: Victoria Gabriele

Whiz Kid: Victoria Gabriele

Age: 17

School: Stratford High School

Accomplishments: Victoria is an extremely dedicated and talented musician.

While in the high school band, Victoria held the position of drum major, whose duty it is to conduct the band during Stratford High School football games; as well as the appointment of section leader, in which she held first chair of the flute section and had to ensure that the other 20-plus flute players were up to speed with the music.

“I have always enjoyed band, even before I held a leadership role," she said. "It is so different from everything else we do at school, and I enjoyed being part of a team which felt more like a family. It was also rewarding to be able to inspire some of the younger players to continue with music and to be able to teach others to be leaders. Even though I have graduated, I still receive emails from my former band mates asking for help to prepare music pieces.”

As a member of the after-school Wind Ensemble Program, Victoria completed a selective audition process and became first chair and principle flute. 

“This was a good experience as it was more selective than school band and more challenging musically," she said "I had to push myself to improve and play at a higher level. I learned the skill of soloing in front of large groups of people.”

As a member of the pit orchestra during Stratford High School musicals, she practiced three days a week for three very intense months leading up to performances.

“We had to know how to play so as to let others (the actors) shine,” she said. The orchestra provided the score for "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Secret Garden," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Hello, Dolly!"

As a member of the Bunnell High School Marching Band, Victoria exposed herself to a new form of musical performance and its challenges. She played the piccolo and had to memorize the music rather than reading it off stationary music sheets. Most of the members were from Bunnell High so she was forced to branch out and make new friends.

“They were all great,” she said of the friends she made.

As a member of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra, Victoria was the first chair and now performs more solos and professional orchestra-level ensembles. She now performs among some of the top talent in the region.

Along with four of her friends, they began a wind quintet which is an offshoot and culmination of all their musical education thus far.

As a member of a flute choir, Victoria performs various gigs at malls and other public areas around the holidays. She described this as a “unique experience.”

Victoria was invited to attend a prestigious musical competition. Over the course of one weekend, she was given a piece of music, and had to master and perform it in a concert on Sunday afternoon. She placed as second chair in the region with a French contemporary piece.

“It was not something I had ever been exposed to, so it was challenging, but gave me great bragging rights," she said.

Outside of music, Victoria started the science bowl with a group of friends whose goal it was to develop and participate in a Jeopardy-type competition each year, which would focus on topics not conventionally taught in the high school classroom.

Victoria takes a lot of pride in her writing, so winning the Brown Book Award was not only a surprise for her, but also a great opportunity to be recognized. This award recognizes top high school juniors for excellence in the written and spoken word.

As a member of the National Honor Society, Victoria met to brainstorm with approximately 30 other students on ideas for community involvement.

During her junior and senior year, Victoria wasn’t able to fit French into her class schedule, so she joined the French Club which became a way for her to continue to access the language and culture.

As a member of Stratford High’s Link Crew, she helped freshmen assimilate into high school. It was a good leadership experience for her and she continues to connect with her underclassmen when they need her help or advice.

Victoria has been a volunteer at the Stratford Library in the children’s section.

As a member of Project Green Sweep, Victoria helped to clean up various areas of Stratford. Of this experience she said, “It changed my perspective on littering; I saw the town in a different light and found myself wanting to make it better. It was a very rewarding day of volunteering.”

She has also been a Smart Buddies volunteer tutor which is an after-school tutoring club. She enjoyed the challenge of working with younger children and finding ways to “keep them motivated and present the information in a fun and understandable way.”

Victoria will be attending the University of Virginia where she will be pursuing an engineering degree. She also hopes to take Chinese and Italian classes, and participate in chamber and swing dancing clubs.

Key to Awesomeness: Victoria is inspired by what she learns, reads and hears about.

“Stories of people overcoming insurmountable goals prove that we are capable of doing so much more than we realize," she said. "There are also so many little things [that] can impact us on a grand scale. And so often people overcome obstacles that scientists and doctors never thought they would.

"Even in literature we read about characters who overcome tiring situations. These are reminders to continue challenging the world, that we must continue to be a better person, and that we can make a difference. It is so easy to get lost in a crowd or become overwhelmed and distracted. Many times we do not think about the grander impact of our actions.”

Do you know Victoria? Congratulate her in the comments section below.