After graduating, Gloria worked to save the money she would need to pursue a teaching degree.  She attended colleges in Salt Lake City, Albion, and Lewiston, Idaho to earn her degree, landing a teaching position in Shoshone and Pocatello, Idaho.  She has fond memories of her students and the different communities in which she lived, and shares her observations of how Basques integrated into each of the communities.

Gloria married Frank Gamboa, a bomber pilot in World War II, in 1944.  They raised their three sons all over the United States and Central America, moving each time that Frank was reassigned to a new city with Morrison Knudsen Corporation.  They eventually settled in Boise.  Gloria reacquainted herself with the Boise Basque community, serving on the Basque Center's board of directors.  She shares her thoughts on the purpose and mission of the Center.