Gabriel Garcia, or Gabe as he introduces himself, is from the the charmingly named town of Buttonwillow, a small community about 25 miles west of Bakersfield where his parents Richard and Lucette still live.  He has three younger sisters, Maria, Alisa and Anna.

This last year, Gabe completed his master's degree in business administration from National University, and became a full-time employee of BLM in the resources division in Bakersfield, approving new oil and gas surface use permits.  While attending school, Gabe held a STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program) position as a petroleum engineer technician assuring oil companies comply with lease conditions.   He initially started while a senior at California State University in Chico, where he earned his bachelor's degree in biology in 2002.

Throughout high school and college, Gabe has remained active in a variety of sports playing basketball and baseball in multiple leagues.  In his spare time, he volunteers as a basketball coach at a local high school.  He likes to get away to LA or the central coast as often as possible.  "Anywhere with a beach is fine with me," he says.