Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy: Gabrielle Hill sets nursing path after tutoring and government roles

A frequent tutor, Gabrielle Hill is known for making young students feel valued in one-on-one sessions.

Hill juggled regular classes at Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, dual credit courses at North Idaho College, a NIC student senator role and tutoring. Earlier this year, she worked as a page in the Idaho Legislature.

“She is someone who can do a lot of different things at the same time, but whenever she is with one person, one-on-one, you feel like you are the only one she is thinking about,” said Drew Burfeind, the school’s tutoring center coordinator.

Charter has students in sixth through 12th grades. After school tutoring has upper-class students helping younger peers in typically science and math. Hill regularly met with sixth-graders, Burfeind said.

“She meets them where they’re at,” he said. “She is a very gifted individual in working with people.”

Hill entered the Legislative page program for high school students this year, serving in the House from mid-January through most of February.

“I was assigned to specific committees where I would set up and tear down committee rooms, assist secretaries, and then help on the floor daily,” said Hill, 18.

“I learned a lot about how – at least on the state level – our government runs, especially on the House side. I’m a lot more familiar with how bills are made, how they’re passed and what it looks like to put ideas into law.”

However, a political future isn’t in the plans. Hill wants to be a nurse after completing those studies at NIC. Then, she hopes to train as a midwife.

“After my cousin was born, I realized how much of an interest I had in all things pregnancy, labor and delivery,” Hill said. “I know that a nurse midwife needs a master’s degree, but I don’t have specific plans where that will be yet.”

Hill said math comes naturally to her, and she first helped at Charter’s math camp for sixth-graders. In tutoring, she helps students understand how one math concept builds off another one. “I try hard to go back or to help students with those concepts.”

Making others feel valued is a priority, she said. “I think the biggest reason that I am like that is because of my relationship with God, and how that influences my life.

“I really enjoy spending quality time with people, and I try hard to make that a priority, even though life can be crazy and sometimes it’s difficult. It’s always worth it.”

She said being a NIC dual credit senator helped connect her to campus and students, while she also learned about leadership. With NIC dual credits so far, she’s on track to complete a general associate degree this year.

For fun, she dances ballet, tap and swing. She joined a “Need A Little Christmas” production this past season.

“After I got over the stress of learning the dances that were challenging, it was a cool way to release the stress of the school year and just do something fun.”