Georgia Biewald (Gigi) -Seeds of Change-Feeling Empowered to work, inspire, play and living life to the fullest
"Seeds of Change - Feeling empowered to work, inspire, play and living life to the fullest”
The interview and story were written by Paige Librandi, Self-Advocate Coordinator, South Region DDS
Most recently I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing a woman by the name of Georgia Biewald. I could see right away that Georgia was exciting and easy to talk to. She is 34 years old and lives in Willimantic, CT. Georgia also goes by the name Gigi.
Work-life
Gigi shared that she currently works at the Mystic Aquarium and has been there for 10 years. She is a guest service speaker and loves teaching people about the animal exhibits there. Gigi knows facts about Beluga whales, sea lions, and much more, she said “her favorite of all are the penguins”. Gigi’s work and interests overlap, in that she is also a musician. Gigi has a YouTube channel where she plays a song she wrote called Glitter it Up. This is a dance-pop song that discourages people from using hateful words and encourages people to be themselves. Gigi has had the pleasure of performing her song on stage for pageants such as The Connecticut Miss Amazing Pageant where it will now be the opening number every year, she is also the CT Senior Miss Amazing 2022. This pageant honors the abilities of girls and women with disabilities. In addition, Gigi sells t-shirts, backpacks, and phone cases through her fashion line called Glitter It Up Fashion.
Interests
When I asked her what makes her smile, she said her family whom she is very close to, friends, and work. One of her interests is to promote her song Glitter it Up in other Countries. When asked, what do you think is great about herself, she said “I can sing, draw cartoons, and know so much about animals”. Her favorite thing to do is sing and her goal is to be an artist.
Success
Gigi participated in Special Olympics in bowling and swimming. She won three gold medals for bowling. She has also had the privilege of singing the National Anthem at the Special Olympics. Gigi is proud of writing her song Glitter it Up, which she stated: “Got way more attention than she ever thought”. When asked what motivates her success she said, “her fans” who are known as Georgia’s peaches from her YouTube channel “Georgia Biewald”. Lastly, that she feels successful because she isn’t afraid to perform on stage.
Challenges
When asked about challenges Gigi shared that she has Autism at times she has some sensory issues. For example, loud noises and certain sounds can be uncomfortable for her. As you can see Gigi has learned great coping skills and is a very successful young woman.
Conclusion
Gigi’s message to people would be, to go buy her song “Glitter it Up, which encourages everyone to be themselves”. “Do what motivates you”. She secretly loves that she inspires people all over the world to be themselves.