Gabriella Navarra enters her senior year, busier than ever. While already pre-occupied by college applications, she also juggles a hectic schedule, as well as participating in three seasons of athletics and three after school clubs. On Mondays, you can find Navarra in the learning commons until 2:35 p.m. with the Raffles for Wishes club run by juniors, Sadie Passante and Kate Gardner. On Tuesdays, she is up bright and early for Spirit Squad, which meets at 7:10 a.m. in Mrs. Davis’ room. And on Thursdays, Navarra will be in the cafeteria from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for the REACT meetings. Even with this tight schedule, Navarra still finds time to hang out with her friends, maintain her good grades, and pursue a blooming photography passion.
Navarra enjoys taking photos for school events and runs a separate Instagram account specifically for photos she takes at school events. “Ever since I was younger, I always liked taking photos. People, my mom the most, would always tell me that I always had a sense for seeing things well,” Navarra said. “I especially like taking pictures of flowers. That’s how I really started to take photos. Taking photos for sports is really fun, also, and last year when I was in a boot, I took photos more often at the soccer game since I couldn’t play.” Her photogrpahy instagram account is gabinavpics.
Navarra plays for Morgan girls soccer in the fall and runs for Morgan track in the spring. During soccer, she plays defense alongside senior captain Liliana Luciani.
“Her positive attitude is motivating which contributes to our success. On the field she’s great at communicating to Riley and me. She’s very aware of what’s going on and has good knowledge of the game,” Luciani said.
Navarra and Luciani are not only teammates but close friends, and Luciani mentioned their strong bond on and off the girls soccer team. “Because of our friendship off the field, it makes playing soccer with her so much more fun and helps us work better together. She was an important part of the team and is still a great leader.”
Navarra has been on the Morgan girls soccer team for four years, and has expressed how special the team is to her.
“What I’m gonna miss the most about Morgan girls soccer is the team itself. Every year people come and go and a new family for me is created. The connections I have made throughout the years have led to me creating friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’ve made memories from just everyday practices to winning shorelines all four years that I’ll hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. I’m forever grateful for joining this team freshman year,” said Navarra.
Jonathan Harder has been the head coach of Morgan girls soccer for two years now and works in the Old Saybrook school district as a science teacher. “It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know Gabi over the last two seasons. Besides being a formidable defender, she’s also just a great person that people want to be around. What coach wouldn’t want that type of person on their team?” said Harder.
Last spring, Navarra was inducted into the National Honors Society (NHS). To be a part of the NHS you must have a 3.75 or higher, and community service experience. Navarra said, “since I was a freshman, I’ve wanted to be a part of NHS. This goal led me to try hard in all my classes to keep up a good GPA and get on Honor Roll,” Navarra explained. “All this work paid off junior year when I got inducted into NHS and ever since then we’ve done a lot of service for the community like the trunk or treat for Halloween and we hold an annual blood drive every year.”
Quotes about Gabi:
Health Teacher Rachel Lupone said, “she’s like the kindest, most thoughtful person, she’s smart, funny, and hardworking. I will definitely miss her when she graduates. She has an infectious smile and always knows how to brighten my day.”
Senior Liliana Novicki is a close friend of Navarra and plays soccer and track with her. “I think Gabi was one of the strongest players on the field and she always puts 110% into whatever she’s doing, whether it’s sports or not. She became one of my closest friends over the years and I’m so grateful for the relationship I have with her and I will cherish all our memories together,” said Novicki.
Junior Jacquelyn Ciarleglio runs track in the spring and is a close friend of Navarra. “Last year during track I got really close to Gabi while we were both competing in the same event, the jumping events. Gabi and I both did long jumps, and while I was getting comfortable doing events she gave me lots of tips to make me successful. Gabi is a very upbeat person and I’m so glad she’s my teammate for another season.”
History teacher Christopher Zwadazski has a close relationship with Navarra. “I enjoy the fact that everyday she walks into class with a big smile on her face. To this day whenever I see her in the hallways I always get a hearty hello from her. And even in these days when not everyone is happy Gabi is always happy and always looks like she wants to be here,” said Zwadazski.
“Gabi is one of the hardest charging defenders I have coached. No one gets by Gabi without a hard challenge, but most of the time, there is no challenge at all because Gabi beats her opponent to the ball. As a senior, Gabi was a true leader by working hard at every practice, shutting down the attack during games, and supporting the other players in the team with kind words and emotional support,” said Harder, referring to her soccer career.
