Marketing the Most of Her Trinity Experience

Meet Gabi Salgado ’25, a marketing major with minors in strategic communication and Spanish from São Paulo, Brazil, who will graduate from Trinity University this spring.

Gabi chose Trinity without ever setting foot on campus, trusting her gut and the warmth of the virtual community she connected with during the pandemic. “Everyone was so kind. I felt welcomed immediately,” she says. “Trinity checked all the boxes for what I wanted in a college experience: a small university in a big city, warm weather, study abroad opportunities, research opportunities, and the chance to get involved in everything I cared about.”

And involved she was. Over the past four years, Gabi has served as a tour guide, a resident assistant for first-year students, the leader of the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing’s Street Team, the president of Trinity’s American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter, a member of Alpha Chi Lambda, and a Trinity University Student Ambassador. She also spent her entire sophomore year studying abroad in Spain and France. “It was one of the best experiences of my life,” she says.

Gabi’s academic journey started with a high school interest in marketing that came into focus during her first year at Trinity. “Taking ‘Principles of Marketing’ with Dr. Charlene Davis helped me realize this was what I wanted to do,” she says. Gabi added minors in strategic communication to strengthen her perspective and Spanish to deepen her fluency, skills she honed during a year abroad in Spain and France. From then on, Gabi found deep mentorship in her faculty adviser, business administration professor Mario Gonzalez, Ph.D., with whom she conducted summer research on storytelling in marketing. Their collaboration took them to Fort Worth and Tampa to present at national conferences. 

Gabi has too many favorite memories to count, but among her favorite Trinity memories are dancing in the Fiesta boat parade with Trinity’s deans and provost, camping for the first time with OREC, exploring Andalucia, and countless Thursday nights. “It’s hard to pick just one memory; these four years have been full of special moments,” she says.

Her advice for prospective students? “Follow your gut, and find that college that checks all of your checkboxes. There’s no ‘right’ choice, but there is one where you’ll be happiest and able to pursue the opportunities you want.”

After graduation, Gabi will join 7-Eleven, Inc. full time, working with their Fuel Loyalty department, ready to take on the next adventure with the same curiosity and drive that shaped her Trinity journey!

“These past four years have truly been the best of my life,” Gabi says. “I’m forever grateful for the people I met, the memories I made, and how Trinity became my home away from home.”