Though Gabriella gets a lot of flack nowadays thanks to the whole "Sharpay was a victim" thing, she was still a great role model for young girls. She was confidently beautiful with a heart before Miss Universe.
1) She was kind
Gabriella always made sure everyone was included and made her shyer friends like Kelsey feel appreciated.
2) She was humble
She didn't go around bragging about her intelligence or singing talent, even though she had an abundance of both. In fact the only reason she got on the Scholastic Decathlon Team was because Sharpay slipped an article about her into the team captain, and later Gabriella's best friend, Taylor's locker.
3) She was smart
Gabriella was accepted to Stanford University to study science and showed girls that it was possible to excel in STEM subjects and shine in the arts at the same time. It's implied that Gabriella wanted to pursue a STEM-related career but this encouraged people that they could have a degree that could provide them with stability as a backup plan in case they did decide to go into the entertainment industry.
4) She didn't put up with "no crap"
When Gabriella had enough of Sharpay blocking the Wildcats from performing in the Lava Springs talent show, she let her have it. And when she felt like Troy was ditching her all the time to hang out with Sharpay, not to mention changing his personality just to win favor with Sharpay's family and by extension college scouts, she broke up with him. She was no pushover.
5) She just wanted everyone to be together and have fun
The reason she encouraged all her friends to perform in the talent show together was so they'd all have a great time with each other.
6) She used to be really shy
And has grown a lot since then, becoming a confident, powerful young woman.
7) She is a POC
For many Latina and Asian girls, Gabriella was one of the first characters we saw ourselves in.
8) She put her education first
When Gabriella was accepted to Stanford early, she decided to go, even though it meant leaving Troy and all her friends behind.
