Gabriela Pond

I was born in New York City to a mother who teaches English as a second language to adult immigrants and a father who is a academic administrator at a high school. I am of mixed-ethnicity. My father is American of Irish and English (British) descent, and my mother -- whom is a native of Santo, Dominican Republic -- is of Spaniard, Tano-Arawakan, German-Jewish, and African descent. I have a younger brother, Kenneth Alexander Pond. For a very brief time in my early life I lived in West Virginia and the Dominican Republic. Eventually my family and I moved back to New York City, sometime before I attended Kindergarten. I received my high school diploma, a liberal arts degree, through the The Beacon School. As well as my time dedicated to my academic studies, I'm credited as a talented classically trained pianist, creative writer, and dancer. I began my love for dancing at the age of 3, where I began lessons in Ballet, Tap Dance, and Jazz at a community center in a local church. I continued to take lessons there for about 3 years. When I was 8 years old, for about 2 years, I took classes for ballroom dancing, in Swing, Merengue, the Foxtrot, the Rumba, the ChaChCha, and the Tango, etc. at American Ballroom Theatre, instructed by Pierre Dulaine, a famous and well-known ballroom dancer and dance instructor. Then, when I was around 10 years old, I attended Ballet Hispnico, School of Dance for 4 years, where I took classes in Ballet and Flamenco. I continue my love for dance through students organizations and clubs at school, and dance courses, as well. I began taking lessons when I was 4 years old. However, I don't have professional experience in performing, composing, or competing in music, I have continued to take private instruction through college. I began writing as a hobby when I was around 11 years old. One of my biggest accomplishments in my writing career was when I was requested by my 8th grade English teacher, to submit two pieces of mine to the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards contest, where, as a result, I was awarded with a Gold and Silver Key (the equivalent of a first and second place trophy) and published in their national magazine as a finalist for that year.