Gabriella Damacela-Orellana

Gabriela has been drawing from a young age, scribbling playfully alongside her friends- until the dread that came along with puberty hit her like a truck; She could not help but compare her lackluster drawings to those of her peers. As school let out to beckon in the summer of 2014, she allowed insecurity to overwhelm her- Gabriela vowed to never create art again.

That promise was soon broken as her parents, hoping to cure her boredom while on vacation, gave her a pad of thin paper and a set of markers- all from Walgreens. What they thought would simply be a hobby to help her pass the time instead served as a tipping point from interest to into obsession, suddenly she was non-stop scribbling gigantic cartoonish portraits of tv characters, aliens, and things that previously had lived only in her head.

Still struggling with insecurity but fueled by passion, Gabriela continued with her art courses, clubs, and after-school lessons. She enrolled as an illustration major at Ringling College of Art and Design in 2019, where she experimented with mediums she had never dared attempt previously such as oil paints, watercolors, and even clay. This is also where she grew her love of figure drawing, expanding from portraits in stasis to full form gestures and quick streaks of charcoal.

Despite the fast-paced environment full of incredibly creative and talented artists, Gabriela finally developed an appreciation for her own work. She had never been more sure that this is what she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing.

Since then, she has taken opportunities to advertise the artistic passions of others. Her professional works mostly consisting of murals and book covers. She takes a particular pride in the many murals she painted for the theatre department of Colorado College, her favorite and most challenging project being a set of five murals commissioned for a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Currently, Gabriela continues to take on projects for, or in collaboration with, her network of artistic friends. She keeps her illustrative skills and mind sharp with various sessions and courses of figure drawing- her preferred mediums being charcoal or oil paint. She works as she continues her visual arts education, secure in her knowledge that nothing could prevent her from making the time to scribble her heart away.

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Nicolette DiMaggio

I’m Nicolette DiMaggio, author of the “Stock Explore” children’s book series, a collection of stories and comics built on one mission: to make financial literacy fun, accessible, and a little magical for kids.

My foray into writing began with my mom, Cindy DiMaggio, who noticed early on that my brain worked a little differently. That’s when I learned I was dyslexic and instead of holding me back, it opened the door to extra support and an entirely new way of learning. Every summer, I attended reading and writing camps, and by age 10, one of my essays, “Sweet Tooth Study Tricks,” was published in the Journal News.

I’m a graduate of Siena College, and for the past nine years I’ve worked in investing as a research analyst. During this time, I’ve published several award-winning Stock Explore books.

In 2023, I was honored with Pensions & Investments’ Influential Women in Institutional Investing Award, recognizing my leadership and innovation in sustainable finance. The previous year, I was named City Hive’s 50th Anniversary Fearless Woman, celebrating 50 years of women being able to trade on the U.K. Stock Exchange, both honors spotlighting my debut book, Stock Explore.

As Thasunda Brown Duckett said, “I rent my title, but I own my character.” Outside of my professional world, I love spending time with my four-year-old dog Newton, my husband, and my family and friends. I live in Stamford, CT just a short drive from my big Italian family in Westchester County, NY.

I’m excited to work with the Greenwich Pen Women to continue developing my writing and to be inspired by this incredibly creative community. 

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