A Gainesville native's military experience is paying dividends in the classroom and for the community.
University of Georgia student Gabriela Castillo was featured on the cover of the August issue of G.I. Jobs magazine recently for receiving their 2023 Student Veteran Leadership Award.
The national honor is handed out annually by the magazine’s editorial team to student veterans who make an impact through serving their schools, communities and fellow veterans.
Castillo is an Army medic turned pre-med student and has logged hundreds of hours at a clinic that provides free quality medical care to low-income families.
Between working at Gainesville's Good News Clinic near her home and attending classes in Athens during her first academic year, the G.I. Jobs feature said she became a consistent veteran advocate in the Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC) and served to guide other student veterans through the transitioning to life as a civilian student.
She has earned scholarships from both the UGA Parents Leadership Council and the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Castillo also recently completed an internship in the SVRC and landed multiple summer internship opportunities.
She was also elected by her peers to become a member of the Student Veterans Association staff, where she will support incoming student veterans throughout the next academic year.
Castillo said that transitioning from the Army was not easy, but that she is thriving now because of how much help the university provided.
