INTERVIEW SERIES: Gaby

{ In accordance with this subject’s wishes, this interview wasn’t recorded. So instead of a word-for-word transcription, here follows a summarization of the notes & quotes I wrote down during the interview, which were approved for public display by the subject. }

-Gabriela “Gaby” Toujas was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She grew up in an upper-class family of scholars who helped cultivate her love of reading, learning, and especially art.

-She was named after Chilean poet and diplomat Gabriela Mistral.

Gaby: “I’ve always known I love to do art. It’s in my soul. And it is cultural stuff—I can do it anywhere.”

-From a relatively young age, Gaby had a passion for painting. All she ever wanted to be was an artist. But at her mother’s insistence, she attended university, eventually obtaining a Ph.D in Fine Arts Education. Young Gaby didn’t see herself using this degree, but her mother felt that she should have a solid fallback in case something were to happen to prevent Gaby from painting.

-This foresight proved beneficial when, due to her husband’s job, Gaby moved from Argentina to Germany and finally to the United States. While painting was still her principal passion and source of personal income, by the time she made it to the USA, it was almost time to send her firstborn (Martin) to college. The income from art commissions alone wasn’t enough to foot the bill, so she began work as a Spanish teacher at The Fulton School.

-TFS was her first formal experience as a Spanish teacher, and she discovered she had a passion not only for language but for the interwoven nature of people, culture, and art.

G: “There is a net of feelings about people around the world; that we belong together.”

-Gaby talks of her international connections and friendships with nothing but gratitude. She recognizes how they have influenced her life for the better, and how they continue to do so. She misses those friends and family members very much but wouldn’t trade the path she’s taken for anything.

-Gaby feels it was beneficial to move her family from Argentina to Germany and then the United States because she sees the value and necessity of global citizenship. She wanted her kids to grow up experiencing multiple cultures, languages, and social dynamics, in order to better equip them for adult life. This has made them more conscientious and empathetic people.

-The concept and reality of change is exciting to Gaby. She likes the surprising aspect of change, and appreciates new challenges, always allowing herself to learn from the things she experiences.

G: “Life is about change. Challenge. I love to change. If I don’t love something, I don’t do it—I find another way.”

-Her passion for painting and love of teaching coexist peacefully, sometimes overlapping, but one never restricts the other. Gaby is, however, very aware of how there is a time to focus on art and a time to focus on the material she’s teaching. She feels that one of her strengths is compartmentalizing the things she wants to do and her responsibilities, and counts herself lucky that for her, teaching falls under both of those categories.

[Gaby has clearly made a strong positive impact on the community at The Fulton School. She teaches her students to the absolute best of her ability, cultivating in them a love of learning not unlike her own. She’s always ready and willing to talk about any issue, and is a steadfast friend, mentor, and role model to any and everyone in need. Gaby is unapologetically herself, keeping alive her personal history and culture and generously sharing it with each community she encounters.]