Meet Gabriella Chambers: Mentoring Future Boilermakers

Gabriella Chambers chose to use her summers by guiding future Boilermakers through Purdue’s college experience for high school students. By leading them through the day-to-day experience, she offered her knowledge, built friendships and discovered joy in shared moments.

Published: Jan. 29, 2026

Gabriella Chambers took pleasure in working as a peer mentor with future Boilermakers for two summers, preparing them for college life through Purdue’s Summer College for High School Students.

Originally a participant of the program when she was in high school, Chambers led students during the 2024 and 2025 sessions, establishing relationships and guiding them through the experience.

With her fellow mentors, every day Chambers took students to classes and lunch, caught up with them at dinner, and participated with them at evening events.

“It was so fun to get to know my students and form our own little team for the week,” she says.

Between leading her team and taking the free summer classes Purdue offers to student mentors like her, she had plenty of work to do. Despite this, she remarks, her summers felt relaxed because she could participate in a number of wonderful activities alongside her students.

“We always found something exciting to do — joining people to play games, going to the movies or walking around to find ice cream — and there were so many new friends to make.”

She recalls holding many conversations with her curious high schoolers about college life and especially notes the times her students asked for guidance on their future careers.

“Some didn’t know what to study in college but felt like everyone around them did,” she says. “I told them they shouldn’t feel stressed because new college students think this all the time but always confidently figure it out by the time they graduate.”

Connecting with her students as a mentor in addition to getting involved in all the enjoyable moments made summers a uniquely pleasing experience, she says.

“Mentoring for the program felt like I was back at summer camp, except I was a camper and counselor at the same time.”

Boilermakers like Chambers can learn more about this year's summer programs through our website, or by following us on Instagram at purduesummerwintersessions.