Joan Gabel

Audio transcript

I have what I consider to be a wonderful job but also a difficult job to describe and a job that I never expected or pursued when I started my career. I went to college very young. I was only 16 when I went to college, very focused on achieving, very focused on getting to finish line as fast as possible and didn’t want to be in school or training for the rest of my life and had to delay a family. So, even as young as 13 or 14, I had a plan and I went to summer school and I went to night school at the local community college and graduated from high school early, went to college at 16.

In no way, I expected at any of these fork in the road moments in my academic or professional life that they would lead me into this job. And yet, when I look back, everything that happened to me along the way was exactly perfect to prepare me for this job at this time in my life; at this school for what this school is doing right now; for what I think I can offer to this school right now and so I feel very lucky, feel a sense of fate about it having worked out the way that it has and hope that I am able to do as much for this school as this school has been doing for me.

Subscribe to

Show Me Mizzou

Stay up-to-date with the latest news by subscribing to the Show Me Mizzou newsletter.

Subscribe