Adventure Guide for Adventures by Disney and Writer/Social Media Storyteller
Redmond, Washington
Communication major 2015
As an adventure guide with Adventures by Disney, Gonzales gets to travel and share adventure vacations with families in dream destinations all over the world. This fall, she will also join National Geographic and TCS World Travel as an assistant expedition leader on a trip around the world by private jet.
As an independent writer and social media storyteller, she has been able to find and tell meaningful stories that have otherwise gone untold and to help organizations reach their audience with impactful stories that move people to action through photo, video, and writing. Her most recent assignment took her from Greece to Germany to tell the stories of refugees, locals, and volunteers along Europe’s refugee route.
How does your time at SPU connect to the work you’re doing today?
SPU prepared me academically to be a life-long learner and critical thinker. This school opened me up to a new way of seeing the world and gave me the tools to better engage with and change the world.
Who made a difference in your SPU education?
My UCOR 2000 professor, Dr. Rodney Stiling, inspired in me a curiosity to discover the world and understand how our rich cultural and historical backgrounds shape who we are. My business ethics professor, Dr. Kenman Wong, gave me a new lens to look at difficult ethical questions and showed how my responses (both big and small) shape the person I become. I also think of my gender communication professor, Dr. Debbie Pope, who invited students into conversations to wrestle with big questions while also deeply caring for each of us as individuals beyond our classroom discussions. Whether through their lessons, their difficult questions, their faith, or the way they encouraged me to dream big — nearly every SPU faculty and staff I encountered has left a mark on who I am today.
What advice do you have for students about life after graduation?
Don’t settle for the path of least resistance. Find what makes you curious and passionate in the world and pursue it, even if it seems impossible!
