Intern Spotlight: Bruna Distinto

This is the second of a series of spotlights on our summer 2016 student volunteers.  Learning Life’s student volunteers this summer are translating documents, conducting research and doing outreach locally and internationally for our new Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI) established this year.  CDI will connect American families in Washington D.C. with families in other parts of the world through live online video-dialogue starting this summer.  Bruna has been providing invaluable help in translating CDI documents into Spanish, screening D.C. families for participation in the dialogues, outreach in El Salvador, and more.     

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and moved here to Washington D.C. with my family when I was six years old.

What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?

I am a junior at Trinity Washington University and I am majoring in International Affairs.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I love to play soccer with my dad and friends, as well as spend time with my family. I love Netflix, so you will most likely catch me on it when I am home.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

Since moving here I have not been able to visit another country, so for now the most beautiful place I have been to has been Marco Island in Florida. The beach was incredible, the water was crystal clear and you could see the different colors of the rocks (red, blue, green, etc.) shining through the water.

Is there a particular life experience you have had that has shaped you as a person?  If so, what was it, and how has it shaped who you are?

The life experience that has shaped me as a person would have to be leaving high school and trying to figure out my college plans. As a non-citizen, there were few to no options for me to attend college because of the lack of financial aid and scholarship funds. However, because I was a DACA recipient (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, an Obama Administration policy that provides children of immigrants documents enabling them to study and work in the USA), I was thankfully able to gain a Dreamer Scholarship that provides me with a full scholarship to attend Trinity! Going through two years of nonstop calling colleges and searching for scholarships helped shaped me as a person because I learned how hard it can be to receive a higher education, but that you cannot give up because there is always a way.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I chose to intern with Learning Life because I have always wanted to work with children and help out my community in some way. Being raised in D.C., this was a perfect internship for me because I could do just that.

What are your career plans?

My career plans are to further my education as much as possible and eventually work for a U.S. nonprofit organization that works to help immigrants, or one that does international work with Latin America countries.