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Gabriela Gronkowski

Animal education

Gabriela Gronkowski wants to study veterinary science in the Caribbean and chose to start at Penn State Wilkes-Barre to help her get there. An animal lover ever since she can remember, she began taking care of others’ pets and realized she wanted to spend her career caring for animals. Gronkowski is majoring in animal sciences and chose Penn State’s 2+2 Plan to give her a smoother college transition.
By: Goldie Van Horn
Student begins animal science degree at Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Gabriela Gronkowski wants to study veterinary science in the Caribbean and chose to start at Penn State Wilkes-Barre to help her get there.

Gronkowski, a resident of Forty Fort who graduated from Wyoming Valley West, is a first-year student majoring in animal sciences. She chose Penn State’s 2+2 Plan to give her a smoother college transition.

An animal lover ever since she can remember, Gabriela began taking care of others’ pets and realized she wanted to spend her career caring for animals.

“Animals are so precious to everybody. They make you happy and help you know you’re not alone in the world,” Gronkowski said. “When I started dog sitting, that helped me get used to having responsibilities. Pet sitting was a good start for my career path.”

She has her sights set on attending graduate school in the Caribbean and decided to study animal science at Penn State for her undergraduate degree. Gronkowski’s first visit to Penn State Wilkes-Barre was as part of a golf camp when she was in ninth grade, and she felt the campus would be the ideal start for her college education.

“The first time I came to campus, I thought it was the perfect size. Since it’s a smaller campus, I felt it wouldn’t be so overwhelming with a lot of people and big classes, especially since I’m not used to big classes,” she said. “I am also able to live at home for my first two years of college and save a lot of money.”

Gronkowski was happy to discover the number of opportunities for involvement at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and all the events that take place on campus. She is a senator in the Student Government Association and also participates in activities offered by other clubs.

“I’m always up to do anything. I love going with the flow and seeing what kind of clubs there are,” she said. “I was recently able to go to Washington, D.C. with the Students for Justice club to tour a whole bunch of different museums.”

She has found the staff on campus to be “very helpful,” especially when she has taken advantage of tutoring opportunities to boost her academics.

“I can have a hard time paying attention in class, and the staff on campus always help me out when I need it,” Gronkowski said. “They have a lot of tutoring opportunities. The math tutoring I received helped me a lot and I will be getting tutoring in chemistry soon.”

She worked closely with Lorna Chin, learning center coordinator, and her husband, David Chin, program coordinator and associate professor of English, saying, “I was having a rough time last semester and they helped me so much. They helped me realize the staff are here to support us.”

“When Lorna tutored me, she would let me talk to her if I was having a rough day. She would always help me with other things if I needed them,” Gronkowski continued. “It’s rough transitioning to college, but they were there to help me realize I don’t have to keep everything bottled in and I can talk to people.”

Lorna Chin praised Gronkowski’s dedication to her studies, saying, “Gabriela readily tackles challenges at school. She has learned that if you keep working at difficult tasks, they become easier over time. Her positive attitude and determination are a recipe for success.”

Gronkowski, who works part-time at a grocery store, said, “I’m lucky to only have to work part time, but some other students are parents or have full-time jobs. The resources on campus are really helpful for those people.”