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Briyana Mondesir of New Haven, Connecticut majored in environmental studies major with a minor in poverty and human capabilities studies.

A Bonner Scholar, Bri completed more than 1,800 hours of community service and leadership training while at Washington and Lee. She was president of the leadership team at Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee (CKWL) and served as CKWL intern, collaborating with community partner agencies, working in the Campus Garden, preparing and delivering meals, and planning programs.

Bri also had leadership roles for such other organizations as Students for Educational Justice, based in New Haven, Connecticut; Live Healthy Rockbridge Coalition; Community First; and the Student Judicial Council. She was an active member of the Student Association for Black Unity, Amnesty International, Tri Beta Biological Honor Society, and the Native American Student Organization.

In the summer of 2019, Bri studied and conducted research about the environment in China with the Middlebury School of the Environment. During her sophomore year, Bri worked as a remote intern for Amartya, an environmental NGO in Buenos Aires, studying the impact of environmental issues on low-income communities in Argentina. She was selected as a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in Mexico during the summer of 2021.

As part of a W&L project, Bri assisted Carilion Clinic with its tri-annual community health assessment for Rockbridge County, which included conducting focus groups to identify barriers to good health. This project as well as her academic studies, volunteer work, and internship experiences cemented Bri’s interest in public health.

Following graduation, Bri began work as a full-time grant writer for Washington-based Spark Point Fundraising. She plans to return to school in the future to pursue advanced degrees in public health.

Sources: file, personal information
Written by: Jeff Hanna, jhanna@wlu.edu
Updated: October 10, 2022