Team Member Spotlight

Team Member Spotlight

Welcome to our Team Member Spotlight page. Here, we introduce you to the talented minds and dedicated hearts that power our organization’s success. We’ll introduce three outstanding team members at a time. So, check back often to learn more about our exceptional team and the stories that fuel our drive for excellence! 

We are excited for you to meet the people behind myFootpath. 

Graduation Specialist

Gabriel Gonzalez

What is your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about this job is showing people who have written off the possibility of going to school that its never too late, they can not only go back to school but they can be successful and achieve their dreams!

What motivates you?

I am motivated by the endless pursuit of knowledge. There’s always something new to learn or a fresh perspective to consider. It is of utmost importance for me to remain open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

What advice would you give someone thinking about going back to school?

Take things one day at a time. Going back to school, especially after a certain age, can be overwhelming. But if you take it step by step versus trying to do everything all at once, you will see that it’s not as daunting as it may seem.

If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I would eat sushi because it’s always fresh, it’s not heavy, and there are so many different ways to prepare sushi that I’d never get bored.

Graduation Specialist

Paulina Pachel

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I really love building connections and rapport with my students. Growing up, my dad was always known as the cool uncle of the family and I have followed in those footsteps by being the cool aunt to my nieces and nephews, which is the approach I take when communicating with my students. They know that they are supported and loved, and I cherish the fact that I can be that academic advisor, pillar of support, and beacon of motivation. I’m trying to be the person with all the resources that I wished I had when I was navigating college.

Why is education important?

Education is important because it expands your mind and opens it up to new ideas, different people, and worldviews at large. An educated person does not warrant much explanation for trivial things. Education can get you into rooms and open doors that might not have been possible otherwise. At the end of the day, it’s important to check in with yourself and ask how am I going to take my education and apply it in the world? Is my altruism and worldview performative to fit an agenda or is it truly authentic to who I am as an individual? A piece of paper means nothing if it isn’t backed by experience and if you, yourself, don’t continue to push and challenge yourself to embrace new ideas, people and different outlooks from yours.

If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

Pasta because it can come in all forms, shapes and sizes. You can get creative with what you’d like to put on it. It is also the first dish that I made in my first apartment when I ventured out in the world on my own ten years ago, so it holds a special place in my heart.