Oct 10th, 2017, 12:49 PM

Accents–Gabriela Wilson

By Leona Caanen
Image Credit: Leona Caanen
Focussing on the future through a different lens.

Gabriela Wilson’s face is a familiar one on the AUP campus. The former student drops by the Amex in between photo-shoots to play some backgammon with whoever is willing to challenge the board game fanatic. While Gabriela is a talented photographer, she doesn't want it as a future career. Instead, Gabriela uses her photography to help achieve her dream of opening a restaurant and bar in Cape Verde with her “auntie”. Besides her career goals, Gabriela is also planning her future with her equally artistic fiancé: Tiziano.



Image Credit: Facebook/Gabriela Wilson

Growing up in different countries, Gabriela claims one of her best qualities is her ability to be a chameleon. No matter whether it is Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Italy, or France; Gabriela adopts to her surroundings. At the age of six, Gabriela was adopted, she and her brother built a second, loving family in Saudi Arabia. From ages six to 15, Gabriela enjoyed her childhood, not yet being fully aware of its impact it would have on her life later on. Talking about Saudi Arabia with others is always interesting, as many people have a more negative view of the young country.

"Everyone you know grows up in their place and you don't realize the flaws or benefits."

Gabriela continues to identify that "people are quick to judge Saudi, especially with their treatment of women, but everyone forgets that Saudi is a baby country, it's capital is only eighty-seven-years-old." Speaking with people that are not very familiar with Saudi Arabia, and only know what the media tells them can be difficult. Gabriela explains that as one of the youngest and the biggest country in the Middle East, Saudi has already accomplished a lot. The recent development of allowing women to drive is a huge step forward for the nation.



Gabriela and her fiancé Tiziano. Image Credit: Gabriela Wilson

Besides living in Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, Gabriela has had the pleasure of living in Oman, Italy, and France. Moving around has given Gabriela the opportunity to meet open-minded people, as well as allowing for her to meet her fiancé Tiziano. Yet before meeting him, Gabriela was focused on a different aspect of her life. Right now Gabriela has no responsibility besides loving her two god-children, aged two and five. "I can't be forty and have kids and another job and hopefully be married, and then decide to drop everything and open up my own photo-shop." Gabriela knows she can always come back to university, but right now, as long as she is doing something to aid her future, she has full support from her parents and brother.

"When you are twenty-three, you have a specific right to fuck up."

After two years at AUP, Gabriela decided to put her academic career on hold and start her photography business. Her photographs are a mix of the two styles of her favorite photographers: Ai Weiwei and Terry Richardson. The first style has a personal feel to it, kind of like Humans of New York; instead, the latter is a more raunchy in-your-face type of photography. Gabriela mixes these two styles together with her own - it creates a type of erotic photography. Not always in the sexual sense, but erotic in the way that it makes you feel something when looking at one of her photographs.



Image Credit: Gabriela Wilson Photography

From moving around to studying, to starting her own business, Gabriela has also been able to encounter true love. After a mutual break-up, a friend convinced Gabriela to download Tinder and get back out there. The first swipe ended up being the right one. When Gabriela and Tiziano decided to finally meet, the first thing that popped into her head was "yeah, I'm going to keep this one." Gabriela stuck to this, as now two years later, the two are engaged and Gabriela "couldn't be happier."

Life is a constant adventure, moving from one place to the next, and unexpectedly meeting the love of your life. Gabriela Wilson seems to have figured out her path to happiness, as well as understanding the importance of being young and following your dreams.

Accents is a new cross-platform series featuring interviews with AUP students, friends, and alumni.