My name is Gabriela Leite Soares. I was born in Timor-Leste in Maliana, the capital of the district of Bobonaro. My family moved to the capital city of Dili in 1989, and we have been living there ever since. After finishing high school in 2003, I worked as a receptionist at the Embassy of Malaysia for three months. I joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) afterward. I received a full scholarship for one year to attend Gonzaga Preparatory School, a private Jesuit high school located in Spokane, Washington. Upon completing my study at Gonzaga Prep, I was awarded with full scholarship from Gonzaga University, a private Jesuit University also located in Spokane.
During four years of college, I was active in Justice Club and the Hawai’i Pacific Islander Club, and served as the International Student Senator and the President of International Student Union, I also organized to bring Mr. Constancio Pinto, then the Charge d’Affaires of Timor-Leste, to the U.S. to speak about Timor-Leste at Gonzaga University. I majored in Political Science and minored in French. I graduated from Gonzaga University in May 2009, and I joined the World Bank in July 2009 as a Communications Assistant.