International High-Fashion Model Pivots Her Career
Over the past decade, Gabrielle Ouellet (MMgt ’20) has been featured on numerous magazine covers and countless advertising campaigns for brands such as Target and Mackage.
Gabrielle was first discovered on Facebook by Toronto agent, Chantale Nadeau, at 16 and was immediately offered a contract. “My pupils have an unusual shape that makes them unique,” explains Ouellet. “Instead of round, they fall downwards – the result of coloboma, a rare condition.”
In 2014, Ouellet was recognized in the Best New Face category at the P&G Beauty Awards in Toronto. In 2016, she walked the runway in New York and was seen as the next big thing in modelling. Although her career was on the rise, she always had higher education at the back of her mind, especially with a teacher and doctor as parents.
After years of full-time modelling, this trilingual Quebec City native decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at York University. Throughout her studies, she enrolled in marketing courses, which eventually piqued her interest in business. She decided to further her education by applying to Schulich’s 12-month Master of Management program after graduating.
“The program helped me develop my critical strategic thinking, nourished my entrepreneurial identity and strengthened my leadership competencies,” shared Ouellet. “In the end, what made my experience memorable was the Schulich community and the people I had the chance to meet along the way.”
She is hoping to pursue a career in marketing and business strategy and fulfill her entrepreneurial aspirations. “Now I want to be the vision behind the brand, not just the face out front,” says Ouellet.