Gabby Beckford
Digital Storyteller at PacksLight.com at Packs Light- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Arabic Elementary proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Sojourner White, MSW
I've been in Gabby's Influencer Group for a year or so and I've learned so much about building a digital business with travel as one of your niches! Her knowledge about the travel industry, marketing, business, and being a Black woman in this industry has been so insightful. Gabby has a warm and encouraging personality that makes you want to level up - which is exactly what you want in someone you're learning from! She has been a thoughtful mentor and I appreciate all she does for our GIG community. And I'm excited to continue learning from her.
Evita Robinson
Gabby came on the scene as an influencer and has turned into a force in Gen Z travel. I've seen her growth in partnerships with brands and destinations, as well as in content. She's a content Queen, is informative, and has been able to build a community surrounding what she loves most.
Martinique Lewis
Gabby is a great leader and asset to any team. Her ability to bring a POV from the Gen Z perspective is invaluable! Her cutting edge content is always timely and influences the masses in a positive way. She is a pleasure to know and call colleague.
Sojourner White, MSW
I've been in Gabby's Influencer Group for a year or so and I've learned so much about building a digital business with travel as one of your niches! Her knowledge about the travel industry, marketing, business, and being a Black woman in this industry has been so insightful. Gabby has a warm and encouraging personality that makes you want to level up - which is exactly what you want in someone you're learning from! She has been a thoughtful mentor and I appreciate all she does for our GIG community. And I'm excited to continue learning from her.
Evita Robinson
Gabby came on the scene as an influencer and has turned into a force in Gen Z travel. I've seen her growth in partnerships with brands and destinations, as well as in content. She's a content Queen, is informative, and has been able to build a community surrounding what she loves most.
Martinique Lewis
Gabby is a great leader and asset to any team. Her ability to bring a POV from the Gen Z perspective is invaluable! Her cutting edge content is always timely and influences the masses in a positive way. She is a pleasure to know and call colleague.
Sojourner White, MSW
I've been in Gabby's Influencer Group for a year or so and I've learned so much about building a digital business with travel as one of your niches! Her knowledge about the travel industry, marketing, business, and being a Black woman in this industry has been so insightful. Gabby has a warm and encouraging personality that makes you want to level up - which is exactly what you want in someone you're learning from! She has been a thoughtful mentor and I appreciate all she does for our GIG community. And I'm excited to continue learning from her.
Evita Robinson
Gabby came on the scene as an influencer and has turned into a force in Gen Z travel. I've seen her growth in partnerships with brands and destinations, as well as in content. She's a content Queen, is informative, and has been able to build a community surrounding what she loves most.
Martinique Lewis
Gabby is a great leader and asset to any team. Her ability to bring a POV from the Gen Z perspective is invaluable! Her cutting edge content is always timely and influences the masses in a positive way. She is a pleasure to know and call colleague.
Sojourner White, MSW
I've been in Gabby's Influencer Group for a year or so and I've learned so much about building a digital business with travel as one of your niches! Her knowledge about the travel industry, marketing, business, and being a Black woman in this industry has been so insightful. Gabby has a warm and encouraging personality that makes you want to level up - which is exactly what you want in someone you're learning from! She has been a thoughtful mentor and I appreciate all she does for our GIG community. And I'm excited to continue learning from her.
Evita Robinson
Gabby came on the scene as an influencer and has turned into a force in Gen Z travel. I've seen her growth in partnerships with brands and destinations, as well as in content. She's a content Queen, is informative, and has been able to build a community surrounding what she loves most.
Martinique Lewis
Gabby is a great leader and asset to any team. Her ability to bring a POV from the Gen Z perspective is invaluable! Her cutting edge content is always timely and influences the masses in a positive way. She is a pleasure to know and call colleague.
Credentials
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Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Google Digital GarageMay, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Introduction to User Experience Design
Georgia Institute of TechnologyMay, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Introduction to Capability Maturity Model Integration for Service
CMMI InstituteDec, 2017- Nov, 2024 -
Certified Black-Owned & Operated
U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.Dec, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
Scrum AllianceDec, 2019- Nov, 2024
Experience
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Packs Light
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United States
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Online Audio and Video Media
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1 - 100 Employee
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Digital Storyteller at PacksLight.com
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Feb 2020 - Present
Packs Light is a solo female travel & lifestyle blog featuring travel tips, study abroad resources, travel grants and scholarship tips for all ages, and photography from around the world. It's owner Gabby is a TED speaker, budding author, Gen Z marketing strategist, opportunity expert and most adamantly a world adventurer, having recently reached her 30th country. Her blogging experience covering many areas including writing, social media marketing, graphic design, photo editing, video production & editing, and the daily (hourly, really) content creation • Creates engaging content to promote tourism • Provides consulting for travel companies, tourism boards, and travel products around the world • Has shared tens of thousands of dollars in funded travel grant opportunities and coached her clients in finding relevant opportunities and submitting competitive applications. Thus far she has successfully sent them on cultural exchanges to countries such as Azerbaijan and Russia, completely free. Show less
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Black Travel Alliance
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United States
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Travel Arrangements
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1 - 100 Employee
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Co-Founder
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Jun 2020 - Jun 2021
Original co-founder of the 501(c)3 non-profit, the Black Travel Alliance (BTA). Chair of the Scholarships Committee: - Responsible for organizing and executing scholarships for membership education, training, and growth - Leads coordination of the annual Black Travel Alliance Awards show including awardees nomination and selection. Vice-Chair of the Research Committee: - Responsible for leading qualitative and quantitative research projects, both internally and externally. This could involve member demographic data, to working with market research firms or other organizations to conduct research in the travel space. - The Black Travel Alliance Research Committee aims to educate ourselves, and ultimately. the broader public, about the history, importance, and impact of Black travel. Show less
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Northrop Grumman
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United States
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Defense and Space Manufacturing
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700 & Above Employee
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Data Quality Engineer
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Jun 2018 - Feb 2020
A Quality Engineer 1 for the Q&ME organization is responsible for performing statistical analyses to assess the vitality and effectiveness of quality management systems. They are responsible for analyzing and interpreting quality data to identify potential trends and the need for preventive action. Evaluation of this data and conversion to meaningful metrics is an essential part of the compliance process. A Quality Engineer 1 for the Q&ME organization is responsible for performing statistical analyses to assess the vitality and effectiveness of quality management systems. They are responsible for analyzing and interpreting quality data to identify potential trends and the need for preventive action. Evaluation of this data and conversion to meaningful metrics is an essential part of the compliance process.
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TED Conferences
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United States
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Media Production
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700 & Above Employee
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TEDx Speaker
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Oct 2019 - Nov 2019
Presented a TEDx Talk for TEDxMountPenn in Reading, Pennsylvania on the value of delusional confidence as a key to an extraordinary life, and my experience using delusional confidence to put me at the intersection of opportunity and preparation. Presented a TEDx Talk for TEDxMountPenn in Reading, Pennsylvania on the value of delusional confidence as a key to an extraordinary life, and my experience using delusional confidence to put me at the intersection of opportunity and preparation.
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eTRANSERVICES Corp.
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United States
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IT Services and IT Consulting
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1 - 100 Employee
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Quality Assurance Specialist/Assistant Facility Security Officer (FSO)
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May 2017 - Feb 2019
Helped manage all stages of PPQA lifecycle including evaluation of performed processes and work products, identification and documentation of non-compliances and reporting to senior management, and following up with project leads on the rectification of those non-compliances. Supported monthly and quarterly internal audits on company products and processes according to international process improvement standards, CMMI and ISO. Participated in CMMI ML 3-DEV and CMMI ML3-SVC audits and explained internal PPQA procedures and demonstrating an in-depth knowledge on process review and audits. Receives continual training (Introduction to CMMI-SVC) for implementing company process improvementsAssisted in facility security measures as FSO. Trained in industrial security methodology in conjunction with NISPOM standards including performing self-inspections, verifying FCLs in JPAS/JCAVS system, and assisting in providing securing overall facility security. Participated in DSS inspection. Show less
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Business Support Intern
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Jun 2013 - May 2017
Wrote, reviewed, proofread Government contract proposals and technical documents submitted for grammar, sentence structure, and word flow appropriate for technical writing. Attended technical discussions at SPAWAR Charleston, SC. Assisted in growing the company from 5 employees to the current 30+ by the recruitment of qualified quality candidates via cold calls, emails, and attending career fairs in DC and Fredericksburg. Utilized Indeed, Monster, ClearanceJobs, LinkedIn, etc to recruit online. Responsible for answering phone calls, filing, book appointments, checking inventory, handling all social media marketing (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), as well as updating SharePoint site with documents for company reference. Created eTRANSERVICES Summer 2018 Internship Program for Business Support interns. Created the program, job descriptions, visited local high school and community colleges to recruit 5 successfully on-boarded interns, and am responsible for the internship program from start to finish. Show less
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Institute of International Education
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United States
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Non-profit Organization Management
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500 - 600 Employee
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Boren Scholar (Middle East)
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Sep 2016 - Sep 2017
Awarded a federal grant sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) and the Institute of International Education (IIE) to study Arabic language and Middle Eastern culture in the United Arab Emirates for one academic year. Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. national security interests, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Show less
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Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
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United States
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Armed Forces
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700 & Above Employee
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PATHWAYS Engineering Intern
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May 2015 - Jan 2016
Supported the Department of the Defense (DoD) NAVSEA by shadowing engineers and biologists in their chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) defense systems research. Assisted lab technician with biological sampling using incubation and autoclaving materials, collected and organized data into Microsoft Excel sheets and reflective reports, presenting them in meetings to senior leadership. Helped maintain CBR Detection devices on naval vessels at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, observed installation processes, learned to read warship blueprints, explored the inner-workings of the ships, and worked with government contractors to perform CBR detection work. Performed internet research and compiled academic articles on certain subjects, eventually developing technical manuals based on combined internet and hands-on research. Sought opportunities to bring a global perspective into my position by reaching out to senior management and advising the benefits of cultural relativism and foreign language skills in a federal STEM environment. Show less
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Education
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2013 - 2017
Virginia Commonwealth University
Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, General Mathematics -
2016 - 2017
American University in Dubai
Certificate, Middle Eastern Studies
Community
