As a kid Gabe liked to collect butterflies, draw and read. At Pascack Valley High School, in Hillsdale, New Jersey, she played flute and competed in regional and state competitions.

She also founded the school's first environmental club, Students for Environmental Action and Awareness- SEAA. As a student at the University of Chicago, Gabe studied Medieval history for her Bachelor's degree and the History of Anthropology for her Master's. She completed both in 1994 and is currently working on a Doctorate in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Gabe has always been interested in biology and geology and so when she was invited to be a team member and official "Expedition Scribe" for the 1993 Expedition to Niger, she jumped at the chance.

She has also been on the teams of the 1995 Expedition to Morocco, the 1996 Expedition to Argentina, and Niger in 1997. Currently Gabe is the co-founder and Director of Project Exploration, a non-profit science education organization dedicated to making dinosaur discoveries accessible and providing hands-on natural science experiences to city kids. She is also a writer who enjoys reading biographies, taking photographs and cooking.

She can't wait to return to Niger and fieldwork. "I can't wait to get into the field- and to reconnect with people we met in 1993 and 1997. I hope I can remember some Hausa!".