If you need an example of duality, look no further than Gabriella Suliga. A Forbes 30-Under-30 recipient, she balances a career in political media with her involvement in the Miss America Organization and Miss Milwaukee Scholarship Program, where she’s helping young women secure school grants she knows can change their lives.
From growing up in a first-generation immigrant family from Poland and witnessing the importance of serving your community from a young age, to now running her own media business, Gabriella is proof that you can build whatever you dream of.
Check out her story below to learn more about her come-up and what she values most about living in Milwaukee.
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Illinois (I promise I’m not a Bears fan), and moved to Wisconsin in 2016 to attend Marquette University. What was supposed to be just a move for school turned into building my life here. I bought my first home in Milwaukee in 2024, and I’m excited to keep growing my roots here!
Any stories from your youth that define your path?
I grew up in a first-generation family. Both of my parents were born in Poland, and I spent a lot of my childhood going back and forth between there and the U.S. That experience gave me a deep appreciation for the opportunities we have here and what it really means to chase the American dream.
My parents instilled in me the responsibility to give back to my community and be engaged in politics. Conversations about government and community issues were normal in our house. When I was about 10 years old, my dad took me with him to knock on doors for a campaign. Seeing how much local decisions affect everyday people sparked my interest in politics, and it’s ultimately what led me to the work I do today.
Where did you study (if you did higher education)?
I studied at Marquette University, where I double majored in Philosophy and Political Science and spent a semester in Washington, DC. I graduated in 2020, right when the world flipped upside down. My generation was stepping into our careers during a really uncertain time, and in a strange way that forced me to stop waiting for the perfect plan and just start building one.
What do you do for work now (where you work, title, job responsibilities, etc)?
In 2020, I founded NXTGEN Agency, where we work with political campaigns and nonprofits on branding, design, and communications. If your mailbox fills up with campaign mailers and yard signs start popping up on every corner during election season, I apologize… there’s a very good chance my team had something to do with it.
I also manage campaigns from the moment a candidate announces all the way through Election Day. The work is 24/7 and you definitely see the highs and lows of politics. But there’s nothing like helping someone step up to serve their community and watching that hard work pay off. I’ve worked with more than 60 candidates across the country, and this year I was honored to be named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for my work in politics and media.
Can you talk a little bit about your career journey? How’d you get to where you are now?
People always ask how I ended up here with a degree in philosophy, and no shade to Aristotle, but it’s not exactly the most obvious path into running a business. While I was at Marquette, I got involved in a program called Blue & Gold Ventures, which gave students the chance to launch businesses with the support from the university and community partners. I ran the Marquette Blockchain Lab, where we focused on emerging tech. I built connections with Milwaukee’s entrepreneurship scene and it was my first real taste of running something on my own. I realized I loved building projects from the ground up and that experience gave me the skills to launch my own agency a few years later.
Can you talk more about your community involvement?
One of my favorite experiences was serving as Miss Milwaukee through the Miss America Organization, the largest scholarship program for women in the country. During my year, I focused on youth and entrepreneurship and spent a lot of time visiting classrooms around the Milwaukee area. I would do a “Shark Tank” program, where I’d give students random items and challenge them to come up with a business idea and pitch it to the class. Seeing those moments where the kids realized their ideas mattered, and that they could create something of their own, was really special.
What are some ways you have impacted the community in your line of work?
After serving as Miss Milwaukee, I now work behind the scenes as Co-Director of the Miss Milwaukee Scholarship Organization, a 501(c)3 nonprofit for women ages 13 to 28. Each year, our titleholders go on to compete at Miss Wisconsin and spend the year serving the Milwaukee community at events, school visits, and volunteer programs. This year we had over 24 young women compete and awarded more than $18,000 in scholarships and opportunities! It’s incredibly rewarding to invest in the education, leadership, and personal growth of young women in Milwaukee.
What do you like about living in Milwaukee?
I love the size of this city. It’s big enough to have energy and opportunity, but not so big that it feels overwhelming. I also really love the entrepreneurship scene here. It feels like a place where people genuinely want to help each other succeed. Wisconsin has come to feel like home in a lot of ways because it reminds me so much of my family home in Poland. The pace of life, the strong communities, and the pride people have in where they live all feel very familiar to me, and I think that’s a big part of why I ended up staying. Milwaukee is also where I rescued my soul dog, Harley (named after Harley Davidson!), so at this point I feel forever indebted to this city.
What do you want to see for Milwaukee’s future?
I’d love to see Milwaukee keep encouraging young people to stay and build their careers here. The program I was part of at Marquette gave students real support to start their own businesses, and that experience completely changed my path. We need more opportunities like that, along with more grants and programs that help young people afford their first homes. I was very fortunate to purchase mine at 26, but I know that’s not the reality for a lot of people right now. If the city continues investing in young people, more will be able to put down roots and build their future here.