Meet Gabrielle Fiscus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Fiscus.

Gabrielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story has many layers to it; there really is no easy way to describe the type of person I’ve become. I’ve had many hardships and changes in my life but one thing has remained constant, I want to make an impact on others. I’m not going to go into too much detail about this, but my father passed away when I was at a very young age. From this, I tended to feel alone because no one else was going through what I was going through. I had a hard time relating to others and forming relationships. This is when I started to wonder if there are others in the world who are like me. This is where my passion began. I have dreamed of being a public figure my whole life, so I decided to join the performing arts. I’ve danced my whole life, learned to sing, took acting lessons, and even went to AMDA for a year.

I felt that everything was falling into place and setting up my future, but as every first-year college student does, I started to sit down and think. I loved performing but was this something that I truly wanted to do for the rest of my life? Will I even become successful and be able to accomplish my goals? The answer to these questions was, there is no answer. I had no clue where my life was going and that scared me. I was just following a path that was, for the most part, easily set out for me. I needed to find a way to gain my identity back, materialism had stolen it from me. So I went through all my memories and took note on which ones made me happiest. Those memories were with family and friends, I was traveling, I was meeting new people, being in new surroundings and culture. Then it hit me, culture! That is what I truly love.

So I decided to pack up and leave AMDA, I still loved and will always love that school. I’ve learned so much and met so many amazing people, but I needed to find my happiness. Fast-forward, I am currently a student at Butler University studying International Studies and Foreign Language. With this education, I am hoping to become an interpreter so I can travel and impact people’s lives on a more personal level. Though I’ve left LA, it still holds a special place in my heart, also my sister lives there so I will always be involved with the city some way or another. But regardless, I suppose what I’m trying to say is that life is made for discovery. Don’t be afraid to try something new, give it a shot and maybe you’ll find a new passion out of it. My number one life lesson to remember is never settle. Never settle in any aspect of your life. Self-worth is not defined by materialism or stereotypes. It is defined by whatever you want it to be.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I’ve dealt with money issues, education issues, family issues, you name it. There were many times where I just felt like giving up on myself, but I realized that’s just another loss for me. I would rather endlessly struggle than settle for something that I will not be entirely happy with. Life is difficult, but it’s too precious to live unhappily. Learning to deal with a challenge head-on is the first step.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am currently a college student majoring in International Studies and Foreign Language. My specialties are currently the French language and global issues. I also specialize in the performing arts, mostly acting to be exact. I am known for my confidence and determination, as well as my big goals that I’ve set out for myself. I am most proud of pushing forward. As I mentioned earlier, my life has been far from easy. It would’ve been so simple to just give up. But since I’ve set such a high standard for myself, I can’t let myself do that. Sometimes you have to be your own hype woman and that’s what I did. I can’t really say what sets me apart from others specifically because then I would be generalizing majority of the population and that’s something I don’t want to do. I suppose, though, that I am probably one of the most creative and interesting people you’ll ever meet. I just have a lot of interests that don’t really align but I’m good at them; so I suppose I could be called well-rounded. I will also work tirelessly to achieve what I’ve set out to do and push further than I really need to. I just like to meet my high standard because I know that I am capable of achieving it.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment in my career would be the switch in my career. It was a really hard decision to make and ate at me more months. Again, I didn’t want to just settle though so I bit the bullet and did it. Now, I am extremely happy with where I am at and I feel like I know myself better than I ever have before.

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