By Madison Isbell ’22

Indiana native Gabrielle Tharp realized that she was destined to work in student affairs when she fell in love with being a resident assistant at the University of Indiana. In the fall of 2016, she moved to College Station to complete a master’s degree in student affairs administration in higher education (SAAHE) at Texas A&M University. She went on to serve as a graduate hall director, a community director, and now works as the coordinator of residential assessment and research. 

“I interviewed for the SAAHE program through the Oshkosh Placement Exchange, “ Gabrielle explained. “After listening to the recruiting team describe Texas A&M, the department, and the Aggie network, I knew this was where I needed to be.”

While in the second semester of her masters program, a full-time position opened in her department, and Gabrielle was eager to apply. Not ready to leave the division or department upon completion of her program, she knew that this could be a permanent opportunity.

”I've been here for 6 years,” Gabrielle said. “I felt, and still feel, like the knowledge and resources that I have access to at the Department of Residence Life at Texas A&M are unparalleled.”

Gabrielle’s move did not come without challenges. More than 800 miles away from her family, she endured a lot of growing and learning during her first few months here in Texas.

“I was just planning on being here for my two years of grad school and then immediately moving home, but I found a really wonderful community down here that I wasn’t able to leave when it came time”, she said. “I love my job and the friends that have turned into the family here.”

Gabrielle likes to call herself the “Gretchen Wieners” of her department because her position at Residence Life entails knowing the inner workings of Residence Life, including the demographics, psychographics, and other attributes of students living on campus.

“That's why my data folders are so big—they're full of secrets,” Gabrielle said.  “But in all seriousness, I am the keeper of the data and it's my role to assess student learning, assess processes and procedures, and propose changes based on data, research, and benchmarking.”

Gabrielle’s love for her job stems from her passion to help students, specifically creating spaces for students and staff experiences to be heard. She implements this through surveys, focus groups, learning demonstrations, among other methods. She believes that her job is to serve and listen to the students and staff above all else. 

“The best way for us to keep moving forward as a department and as a division is to listen to the voices of those who we serve and to keep them center stage as the focus of our work,” Gabrielle said. “Our process may be seamless, but if it does not serve our students and staff, it doesn't matter.”

When Gabrielle isn’t at work, you could probably find her on her Peloton bike or enjoying a few of her favorite hobbies: watching 90 Day Fiance or Big Brother, knitting, crocheting, reading the Princess Bride, or playing with her dog, Ludo, a four-year-old collie/jack russell mix and her cat, Lucy.