Emily Gabbard of Highlands, NC graduated from Highlands Senior High School. During her gap year, Emily traveled to Peru, Nepal, and Indonesia. While in Peru, Emily taught English and worked with Horizon Peru, a small NGO that focuses on public education. Emily continued to volunteer in education in Nepal, and in Indonesia, she took part in the Turtle Conservation project through International Volunteer HQ. Her experiences challenged her to think differently, to explore, and to acknowledge and accept things with which she had little or no experience.
Emily continued to apply these experiences during her time at UNC. She participated in a study abroad program at the University of Copenhagen during her undergraduate career. Emily graduated from UNC with a major in Information Science and currently works as a Technology Consultant at Ernst & Young.