CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2021 - 6

6
COL L EG E
blessing not to have any school debt
and the stress associated with it, " he
says. " Education has always been my
passion and getting a chance to serve
my country while going to school
helped me understand that persistence
is the key to success. I may have left
my running career behind, but I look
forward to doing other things that give
me a better purpose. "
LOVING HIS FAMILY;
LEARNING HIS ROOTS
The youngest of five children, Toepel
calls his family " the skittles family. "
Two children were born with the help of
in vitro fertilization, two were fostered
and then adopted, and then he came
along and was adopted from Japan.
Photo courtesy of Susan Baggett
I've always felt I've been playing catch up. There have been
limitations to not being a citizen. Despite the setbacks, it's all been
worthwhile. Military experience has been a dream. " - Gabriel Toepel
According to Toepel, " I was so fortunate
to have found my family. "
However, he knew he wanted to know
more about his biological family in
Japan, and a few years ago located his
birth mother. " Originally, I was scared
of being rejected. But I was tired of not
having answers. " Wanting to know more
about his family health and hereditary
history, he reached out to the adoption
agency (International Social Services
of Japan). He learned his biological
mother's story and discovered that she
came from a very traditional Japanese
family and became pregnant when she
was studying in Nairobi, Kenya. " Being
unmarried and pregnant in Japan at that
time was considered dishonorable. It
would have been a difficult life, " says
Toepel. One day when his mother was
at work, her brother took Gabriel to
an orphanage and dropped him off.
" Knowing why and what happened
was important to me, " says Toepel.
For the first two years of his life,
Toepel lived in the orphanage where
food was scarce. Then one day the
Toepels visited and adopted him. " My
mother said that she knew the minute
I walked in the room that I was going
to be a part of their family. "
Today, Gabriel is in his last year
of the nursing program at CU with
dreams of becoming an Aeromedical
Evacuation flight nurse. Currently
serving as a Technical Sergeant
(E6) in the Air Force as a reservist
at Peterson Space Force Base in
Colorado Springs, his job focuses on
logistics readiness and moving air
cargo around the world. " I load aircraft
planes one weekend a month,
so I'm very comfortable around
airplanes and jet engines. " Toepel
plans on earning his flight wings as
an officer and working with veterans
as a nurse. " Working with veterans
is one of the best experiences in my
life. I love the veteran population. "
CU College of Nursing | Fall/Winter 2021
CU Nursing - Fall/Winter 2021

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