Gabriella Fantell is a University Innovation Fellow studying Design Innovation and Society as well as Industrial and Management Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Gabby was born and raised in New Jersey and has found herself eager to explore the world from a young age. To her, having the freedom to explore new environments is empowering and motivating, being that there’s so much room for discovery and innovation. Gabby finds herself constantly meeting and starting conversations with people everywhere she goes, as forming genuine connections to others is a major source of her happiness. She believes having been exposed to University Innovation Fellows early on at RPI has additionally helped her understand the value of connecting people.

At RPI, Gabby is a Student Representative for the Class of 2020, Fundraising Chair of Circle K, a mentor for the Women’s Mentoring Program, and Vice President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. She loves that she can work with all different types of people, but who are all so passionate about their work.

Outside of class and club work, Gabby loves to sing (she does this all around campus anyway), explore downtown Troy with friends, pursue random design ideas, bake cupcakes in mass amounts, and write about her day. She thinks that it’s amazing to be able to look back on the things you once thought or remember detailed events about a day a year after, and smile seeing how much life has been lived. She wants to inspire others to pursue their passions and believes the UIF community will help her achieve this.