Faculty Friday Spotlight: Ms. Ashley Gabriel

Happy #FacultyFriday! With Catholic Schools Week starting on Monday, this is a great opportunity to profile Saint Joseph Prep’s Campus Minister and Theology Department chair, Ms. Ashley Gabriel!

Ms. Gabriel began her career at Trinity Catholic in 2008 where she taught French, before making the transition to Saint Joseph Prep in 2012. As a founding faculty member at SJP, she has witnessed some significant transformations, but she points to the development of the School’s culture as the most powerful and positive change. As students have come to understand and embrace a renewed commitment to academic and community expectations, Ms. Gabriel notes, “You really feel like the kids want to be here.”

Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Ms. Gabriel attended Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, where she received her Bachelor’s in French Education. Upon graduation, she continued her studies in Boston as part of the Urban Catholic Teaching Corps, earning a Master’s in Education from Boston College. In addition, while teaching at Trinity, she spent three summers working toward a second Master’s in Educational Administration at the University of Notre Dame.

While Ms. Gabriel always knew she wanted to be a teacher, she never expected to be teaching Theology in a Catholic school setting. Originally planning to instruct French, she became excited about the retreats and service opportunities at Trinity. When Saint Joseph Prep was established, Ms. Gabriel was drawn to the opportunity to lead the Campus Ministry program. She appreciates how the students embrace Theology and hopes faith will always be an important part of their lives.

As the Campus Minister, Ms. Gabriel leads the School’s prayer services, retreats, Chapel Speaking program, and service trips. As one example, this weekend, ten students and two faculty members are volunteering at the Romero Center in Camden, New Jersey, where they will spend time at nursing homes, soup kitchens, and centers for people infected by HIV and AIDS. The Alternative Spring Break is the most significant undertaking, however. This April, thirteen students and eight faculty members will spend their Spring Break in Haiti, assisting Life Teen Missions with a variety of service opportunities in orphanages, prisons, and hospitals, and on construction sites.

Over the next few weeks, the team will be hosting different events to help in their fundraising efforts, including a crafts table at Trivia Night on Saturday, January 28 and a Paint Nite event on March 18. In total, the fundraising goal for the trip is $36,000. (Please contact Ms. Gabriel directly at ashley.gabriel@saintjosephprep.org if you would like to contribute.)

Finally, when she’s not teaching Theology or directing the Campus Ministry program, Ms. Gabriel coaches the Swimming and Softball teams at Saint Joseph Prep. She loves to spend time at the beach in the summer and is a huge Notre Dame football and Pittsburgh Penguin fan.

Thank you, Ms. Gabriel, for taking the time to share your #FacultyFriday story! We appreciate all that you do at Saint Joseph Prep and we thank you for sharing with our students the gifts of prayer and service.