Gabriella Davis
University of Florida, Warrington College of Business
“A person who wants it all: excellence, empathy, and a nap here-and-there.”
Fun fact about yourself: I was part of the fencing club for my first two years of college.
Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
High School: Olympic Heights Community High School
Major: Accounting
Minor: N/A
Favorite Business Course: BUL4310 – Business Law
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Stephen C O’Connell Center: Event Staff Supervisor
Gator Ready: Marketing Assistant, Executive Director
Heavener Second Year Experience: Participant, Captain, Director of Member Development
Business College Council: Director of Organizational Development
Where have you interned during your college career? Grant Thornton, Tax Intern, Arlington, Virginia
Where will you be working after graduation? Grant Thornton, Tax Associate, Arlington, Virginia
Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Robert Emerson teaches BUL4310 – Business Law, one of the foundational courses that all business majors within Warrington must take. Despite the subject material being dense and full of technicities, he brought energy and life to the class that kept me engaged and excited for each subsequential lesson. He would wear a new colorful outfit for every lecture such as dressing up as a literal baby. He taught me that it truly is the presenter that determines the engagement of the audience, not the material itself.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? There’s a concept called ‘job crafting’, which is redesigning your job to align with your own strengths and passions. If your job is something you’re good at, then odds are you’ll probably end up enjoying it because, as people, we like to do good. We like to be successful. This can be as simple as going into a data-based field because you like analytics, to expanding your current job’s responsibilities to include more things that you enjoy. It’s a concept relevant to all careers at every stage of our lives.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? There’s a lot of different majors out there, and beyond that even more industries for you to specialize. It’s okay to not know what you want to know, but it’s not okay to stay in that stage of not knowing. Join as many clubs as you can, coffee chat with people from different industries, and put yourself in situations that give you real world experience. The more you do, the clearer the answer will become.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I would have joined one of our school’s competition-based teams such as the Heavener International Case Competition team. Case competitions are a great way to build your portfolio and learn valuable skills with easy application to the workforce. I did debate in high school and would have loved to continue competing on the college stage.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? Our school has a pretty unique way of utilizing AI in the classroom. Our professors understand that the use of AI is inevitable and, in fact, encourages its use for classwork. However, there is a strict requirement in creating your own materials for submission. AI can be used for inspiration, organization, and more – but it can’t replace our own human thinking and development. I’ve learned how crucial our soft skills will become in the face of AI’s ever growing technical prowess.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of starting Gator Ready’s ambassador program. Gator Ready is a competency development platform meant to help connect students to professional development opportunities while keeping track of all of these experiences for each individual student.
I started working with the program my freshman year as it’s only team member. Through my work and dedication, I helped develop a team of 20+ ambassadors that work within 5 committees to manage external touchpoints, marketing, operations, and quality across the program. We’ve managed to help 10,000+ students over several years, and our operations continue to grow with every passing day. I’m extremely proud of my team and I can’t wait to see what they continue to do.
Which classmate do you most admire? I really admire Maria Corina Serfaty. She’s the President of the American Marketing Association: one of the only marketing clubs within Warrington. She’s helped AMA win Student Organization of the Year at our annual award ceremony, and I’ve witnessed how dedicated and passionate she is to her program and students. Maria is one of the friendliest students I’ve met and is always willing to help a student in need. She’s a great example of what Warrington looks like at its best: competitive and compassionate.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank Catherine Coe, my boss of three years and college mentor. We met during my freshman year, when I ended up talking to the Gator Ready table at random chance. This led to her offering me a job, and the rest was history. I am extremely lucky to have had her in my corner during my college career. She’s always given me advice, encouraged my initiative, and invited me into rooms I would have otherwise never seen. The confidence I walk with today was built through her support and presence. Thank you, Catherine.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I really am excited to act as a future mentor for someone in the professional world, and I would also love to attend a conference on behalf of my company.
What made Gabriella such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“For the past three years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Gabriella through her leadership and service to Gator Ready, and she stands out as one of the most dedicated, patient, and strategic student leaders I have encountered in my career. As the founder of the Gator Ready Student Ambassadors, she did not simply promote a program, she built a sustainable model for student leadership, peer outreach, and long-term expansion across the college community. Gabriella leads with a rare mix of steadiness and high expectations, meeting students where they are while guiding them toward real outcomes. Her approachable, credible presence builds trust, and her commitment to doing things the right way, not the fast way, consistently elevates the work and the people around her.
Gabriella is also exceptionally savvy in how organizations function, how to bring stakeholders along, and how to translate goals into durable processes. She played a key role in strengthening student organization integration and formalizing communication and participation strategies that made Gator Ready easier to access and more impactful for students and partners. Academically, she excels as an accounting student and brings that same precision, discipline, and integrity to leadership, logistics, and execution. Her legacy is now integrated into the culture of Heavener, as an invaluable member of the Class of 2026.”
© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.
