Time management is an area in which Gabriel Silva, a rising senior, excels.
The psychology major and standout on the Panthers’ cross country and track and field teams manages to balance classes and a busy training and competing schedule with providing peer counseling to incoming Adelphi students, serving as president of the National Residence Hall Honorary and as secretary in The Gamma Beta Phi Society—a national honor society whose watchwords are service, scholarship and character—and doing volunteer work in the community.
Gabriel Silva
“Getting up for 6:30 a.m. practices before a day of classes can be challenging,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a struggle sometimes to be a student-athlete and try to juggle everything.”
Ask Silva about his fondest moment on the Panthers’ cross country and track and field teams and he won’t mention a particular race or finishing time. Instead, he describes the camaraderie he has with his teammates.
“I love being around really loving and caring teammates and a great coaching staff,” said the Mineola, New York, native.“We’re a support system for one another. Being part of this team has helped me believe in myself more. We push each other in a caring and considerate way to be better.”
Silva credits encouragement from his teammates, as well as his fellow students and his professors, for enabling him to bring his leadership skills to the forefront.
“So many upperclassmen helped me make a successful adjustment to college life,” he said. “Now I’m part of the support system for new students. They know that I want the best for them.”
In addition to helping Adelphi students, Silva has volunteered at North Shore Animal League America and at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s in Malverne, New York. “My volunteer experiences have also pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow socially,” he says.
As someone who has “always wanted to help others,” he found the psychology program to be the perfect fit academically. “Mental health is such a priority for my generation, and I want to be able to help young people.”
Silva plans on furthering his education and eventually having his own practice. “I plan to focus on the adolescent population,” he said. “I want them to be very strong when they go into high school, with healthy self-esteem. I want to help them be the best they can be.”
Being part of this team has helped me believe in myself more. We push each other in a caring and considerate way to be better.