Bruny Alonso
I was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, in 2000. In 2002, I immigrated to the United States on a stolen fumigation plane from the island. My family settled in Miami, FL, where I lived until 2021. From 2019 to 2020, I attended Miami Dade College (MDC) Honors College, earning my Associate Degree in Political Science. At MDC, I worked with the Andrew Goodman Foundation to help establish early voting sites near the Wolfson campus. During this time, I also collaborated with NAMI to raise awareness about the warning signs of self-harm and suicide.
My time at MDC sparked my passion for working in the non-profit sector; the first organization I volunteered for was a local one called Bracelets for Commitment (B4C). Eventually, this interest led to my involvement with Project Global Story (PGS) in 2019, a non-profit focused on fighting for education equity. My primary roles at PGS include the Board Secretary and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). My DEI work focuses on creating Cultural Competency Seminars and Courses, which I have presented to over 500 individuals via Zoom. These courses cover “I” Statements and Allyship, Pronouns, Cultural Appropriation, and Anti-Racism.
In 2020, I transferred to Swarthmore College to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Psychology. After graduating with my BA in 2022, I briefly worked in syndicated loans at CitiBank. Ultimately, this wasn’t the right fit for me. In November 2022, I transitioned to higher education, becoming an Admissions Counselor at Swarthmore College. As an Admissions Counselor, I have focused on access work, system organization, current student recruitment for events, transfer matters, Spanish translation, and our fly-in program. Outside of my job, I remain active in my Cultural Competency research, mentor students applying to college, lift weights, enjoy good food, and think about what to write next.