Senior Spotlight: Gabby Tanen

Legacy. What is it? A legacy is the story and message you leave behind once you are gone. The seniors of the Gold Masque drama club here at Ramapo have gone through a lot because of COVID. They lost the ability to act and sing for an audience, had only performed one in-person show until last year, and had to work twice as hard to try and put on a show during a global pandemic. Gabby Tanen is one of those seniors. She has starred in shows such as Clue, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, BobRauschenbergAmerica, and Godspell. Gabby is energetic, passionate, quirky, and kind. She lights up any room she walks into, and every stage she performs on. Many people will miss her when she graduates, one being fellow senior Mary Regan. “My favorite thing about Gabby when it comes to Gold Masque is that she’s really good at making you feel included in a cast,” she explained. “When I first got here freshman year, she was one of the first people that came up to me. She was like ‘Hey, you’re the only other freshman that I semi-recognize here, so can we be friends?’ I was like ‘Sure!’ I just feel like as the years have passed, she’s always been really good at making everyone feel like they belong. She’s a wonderful person on top of that. She’s always on top of her game. She always knows her lines. She always says that she really cares about Gold Masque and it shows in her performance and in her improvement over the years. I’m really proud of her.”

Junior Addi Palmer had this to say about her best friend Gabby, “I first met Gabby during Clue my freshman year but we fully clicked when we played the comedic couple Allen and Carl in the fall play in 2021. Gabby has always been there to support me and has always listened and given me the best advice I could ask for. She’s like my big sister. I cannot imagine what it will be like when she graduates. I love her so much.”

When asked what she would remember from her years at Ramapo, Gabby said, “When I leave Ramapo I am going to miss the clubs that I was in. I have built up clubs and have been in so many clubs with very different people. I am going to miss the Science and Engineering club as well as Gold Masque. Furthermore, I had an amazing 4 years in Gold Masque; it is this lovely little community tucked away in the 400-wing where we all love music and want to share it. Gold Masque is like a second home to me; the cast and crew are so unbelievably kind, and everyone just wants the best for everyone. I think what I will miss the most is spending late hours with the cast in the theater singing, dancing, and having fun.”

Gabby has been a star these past four years and she will continue to shine just as bright after she leaves Ramapo.