Most people have some degree of fear when it comes to speaking in public.

But for Gabrielle Garcia, the thought of public speaking didn’t just inspire that run-of-the-mill fear.

For the 17-year-old Bend High School incoming senior, the thought of speaking in front of a roomful of people inspired pure terror.

“I used to be terrified of even just speaking in front of a few people. I would have rather jumped off a cliff than speak in public,” Gabrielle said.

But when she hit high school, something changed. Gabrielle found her voice and stopped being afraid.

“It just struck me one day that you can’t keep running away from something you’re going to have to do your whole life,” Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle is starting the school’s first women’s studies club next year, a club she’s establishing for students interested in learning more about women’s history. In order to get the club approved by school staff, she had to present her idea at a schoolwide teacher meeting in June.

“When you’re speaking about something you’re passionate about, it’s a lot easier to get through it,” Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle said her interest in women’s studies and gender equality has slowly developed over the years. Recently, she said, a few incidents at school have made her realize that some people are ignorant about gender equality.

“Some people at school have made ignorant remarks in class about women that kind of baffle me,” Gabrielle said. “I think it’s because a lot of women’s history isn’t always taught.”

She’s hoping her club, which will be open to both boys and girls, will help combat some of that ignorance. The club will feature guest speakers once a month, Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle plans to pursue women’s studies at college one day, and has ambitions of attending a small liberal arts school. Currently, she holds a 4.3 GPA and is planning to apply to a variety of colleges next year. Her school counselor, Gary Whitley, said Gabrielle is taking one of the most rigorous courseloads in her class, and her teachers describe her as intelligent, poised and hardworking.

Gabrielle wants to become a teacher, politician, or lawyer one day, with hopes of promoting gender equality and human rights in whichever career path she chooses.

When she’s not studying or planning a new club at Bend High, she can be found playing the harp in the Cascade School of Music’s Young Women’s Harp Ensemble. She picked up the instrument two years ago and participates in various recitals with her harp group throughout the year.

“I love being able to produce such a beautiful sound,” Gabrielle said. “It’s pretty hard to make a harp sound bad.”

Gabrielle is also an avid photographer and has taken many of her friends’ senior portraits over the years. She also started a hiking club at Bend High last year that combined the great outdoors with community service by picking up litter along some of Bend’s most popular trails.

Next year, she hopes the women’s studies club will jump-start her efforts to make an impact.

“I really want to change society in some way,” Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle Garcia, 17

Bend High School senior

Favorite movie: “Pride and Prejudice”

Favorite TV show: “Parks and Recreation”

Favorite book: “The Giver”

Favorite musician: Sufjan Stevens