Claudia Gasca-Abella ’18

For more than 125 years, UNC Greensboro has served the underserved. One of the University’s most successful programs is the UNCG Guarantee. Established in 2010, this needs- and merit-based program provides students from North Carolina with an exemplary education and service, professional development, and growth opportunities. Through a unique four-year structure that includes mentorship and workshops, Guarantee students graduate prepared to create meaningful and successful lives for themselves and their families.

Claudia Gasca-Abella ’18 is one such student. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies, with a concentration in child, youth, and family, she secured a coveted position at the Martin Dixon Intergenerational Center: a five-star early education center operating out of Bennett College.

“I love being a preschool teaching assistant,” says Gasca-Abella, “but this is just the beginning, and I have the UNCG Guarantee to thank for it.”

Gasca-Abella had planned on attending UNCG, having been encouraged by family friends and teachers, but wasn’t sure how to afford it. That was when her older sister told her about the UNCG Guarantee.

“I applied and waited anxiously for the decision. When I learned I had been accepted into the Guarantee, I started crying. I couldn’t believe I was really going to college.”

The UNCG Guarantee provided for and challenged Gasca-Abella, introducing her to a mentor who quickly became an important friend and confidant, and opening up opportunities for service and employment. Gasca-Abella had her first chance to work at Alumni House as a student intern in her sophomore year. Her exemplary work soon led her to becoming a student assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Advancement’s business officer.

“It was an incredible opportunity,” Gasca-Abella reflects. “I got to see how the University operates and meet some of the amazing people who provide so much for the students here.”

Including UNCG Guarantee donors.

“I am forever grateful for everything every donor has done to make the UNCG Guarantee Program what it is today. Without you, I would never have seen my dream become a reality.”

Gasca-Abella plans on obtaining her master’s degree in counseling and clinical mental health from UNCG, which she will use to become a mental health counselor for at-risk youth and children suffering from behavioral issues. With it, she will create communities much like the one she found with the Guarantee and continue our University’s long tradition of serving the underserved.

Story by Michelle Danner-Groves, Donor Relations