A Take Stock in Children scholar, Gabby Cruz, is from Marion County and attended the Career Academy through Marion Technical Institute.  She graduated in 2015 and attended the University of South Florida, graduating in 2019. Gabby received a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a concentration in Biological Sciences. After graduation, Gabby served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the health sector of Peru as a Community Health Facilitator. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her service ended in March 2020. She returned to the U.S. and started her master’s degree in public health with a concentration in global health practice at the University of South Florida. For over a year, Gabby worked as a contact tracer and a case investigator for COVID-19 and then transitioned to a full-time research assistant at USF. She works on research to prevent HPV-related cancers, vaccine hesitancy, and screening guidelines. She also works on conducting research with local Tampa organizations by supporting the evaluation of their projects to improve future programming. Gabby graduated with her Master of Public Health degree and has a position in Washington, D.C.