Gabrielle Nebbio – Gabrielle the Great

Gabrielle Nebbio just finished her junior year at PPACS String Theory School in Center City, and has amassed an amazing set of accolades. A few include the Leaders and Achievers Award for positive contributions and commitment to school community, a Perfect Attendance honor, the Poetry Out Loud Competition award for poetry performance, and First Honors for her ambitious academic achievements. The 16-year-old resident of the 1200 block of South 13th Street has said of her hard work “my grades have always been high, in the 97-100 range, and that is the only way I will have it,” she wrote. If that weren’t enough, her list of after-school activities is to be considered on top of her regular shifts at Isgro’s Pastries, 1009 Christian St.: National Honor Society, Student Council, Earth Day volunteer, Junior Prom Committee, Student Ambassador, College Prep Club, Fitness/Wellness Club, Bookish Club, plus she’s walked for Autism Speaks and volunteers with the Center City Residents Association and Philabundance.

College and careers are heavily on her mind. Her nomination comes from Susan Thomas, who gave Nebbio the highest grade in her Honors Challenge course. Thomas says she carries a 4.0 with all honors and AP coursework, and that the honorable student is looking at fitness, wellness and nutrition to inspire her life’s work. Nebbio’s looking forward to volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House this summer, through the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, with a hope for working with nutrition and children. Her nomination glows with praise and cites her willingness to set up and clean for school events, call bingo numbers, tutor underclassmen, assistant teach at MathCorps Philadelphia, study for her placement exams and attend college fairs to inform her college search. She’ll land somewhere impressive, no doubt, with one of South Philly’s most impressive resumes. – Bill Chenevert