Gabriela Tirado (‘25), is getting ready for the next journey in her life in an unexpected site: The Gambia.
Tirado has a long history of balancing leadership, service, and academics; she has led as an intern in the department of gender studies, as a Bonner leader, and as a Title IX program assistant, all while being president of the Rollins feminist organization VOICES and being a double major in philosophy and political science with a minor in gender studies. As she starts her journey in the Peace Corps in her role as a Community Health Facilitator, her time at Rollins and her own personal experience come together in an impactful way.
Tirado’s choice to join the Peace Corps is tied to her family’s past. “I’m Colombian, and my family immigrated to Florida because of the armed conflict in Colombia,” she said. “My grandfather actually received death threats before my family decided to leave.” For her, this history created an early interest in international evolution, especially in diplomacy.
At Rollins College, Tirado’s passion spun from community organizations and volunteering in Winter Park and Orlando. “I got the chance to volunteer my whole time there, and it strengthened my love for service,” she said. Through the Bonner Program, she committed six to ten hours weekly to service plans, developing both resilience and experience. That mix — long-term service and personal experience — shifted her judgement to apply for the Peace Corps.
Many classes at Rollins College also inspired Tirado toward her global path. Prof. Dan Chong’s Politics of Global Poverty set her in an environment of critical debates on the validity of foreign aid and the difficulty of international expansion. “That class really opened my eyes to how complex global advancement is,” Tirado said. “It helped me understand the realities behind development work and what it takes to make a real impact.”
Her philosophy curriculum, especially Ethics and Global Justice with Prof. Margaret McLaren, prepared her way to service. In that class, students debated with competing moral arguments about prosperity, global responsibility, and poverty. “We read arguments about whether rich countries should see themselves as lifeboats or whether we are ethically obligated to help people in need with our disposable income,” Tirado said.
Guidance also played an important role. Prof. McLaren’s insight into transnational feminism and Prof. Chong’s development aided Tirado in finding her career interests. “Dr. McLaren really challenged me to think critically about global power dynamics.” Tirado said. “And Dr. Kim Dennis gave me a lot of practical advice about what to do after graduation and how to find promising opportunities.”
Tirado does not only view her service in the Peace Corps as a contribution to community health, but also as an investigation of her professional forthcoming. “Since I’m doing it before continuing education, I really want to find out what field of development work I’m interested in,” she said. Despite being initially interested in conflict studies, Tirado is also thinking of pursuing agriculture or health. She is also extremely excited to plunge into learning a new language and cultural exchange, highlighting that tuning into community leaders is central to sustainable evolution.
Tirado’s mission is at a time where U.S foreign aid is under strain. As a recent New York Times op-ed notes, cuts to USAID under the Trump administration have disproportionately impacted health programs, including HIV prevention and malaria interventions (Editorial Board, 2025). Tirado acknowledges these issues. “Peace Corps volunteers who do health work are extremely important right now,” she said. “They provide presentative care and education that communities need.”
For Rollins students in the present looking into the same path as Tirado, she emphasizes patience, empathy, and openness as important qualities. “You need to be intentional with your work, and ready to listen to the people you’re serving,” she said, noting that services within the Peace Corps should come from a place of genuine passion for development rather than just convenience.
As Tirado gets ready for 27 months (about 2 and a half years) in The Gambia, she feels prepared and ready to gain more knowledge from the community she will serve. “Bonner taught me resilience, and my professors taught me to think critically about ethics and development,” she said. “Now I’m excited to put that into practice.”
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