student

Ebony Bradley '13

Reading, Pa. | Sociology and Spanish

Spotlight on Service:
"I started going on mission trips with my church when I was 14. At Susquehanna, I’m a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity on campus. I volunteer with Mostly Mutts, Elijah’s Bowl and Haven Ministry, mostly on weekends."

Walking the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, was a life-changing experience for me.

Susquehanna’s Chief Diversity Officer Lisa Scott had arranged for me to take part in the annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage during the spring 2011 semester. I walked right behind members of Congress and other important people like John Lewis and Jesse Jackson, as we re-enacted the 1965 voting rights march. Acknowledging how important that day was in America’s history and how life-changing it was for those who walked the bridge back then, and for us now, was so inspiring.

Touring historic sites over three days, I learned so much I didn’t know before. I spoke with the sister of a young girl who had died in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. She described what it was like to hear the bombs going off and what it was like to know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. So many times during the trip, some amazing person would walk up behind me and strike up a conversation about the civil rights movement. So many unsung heroes deserve to be known. Their personal stories can help people understand better how this movement changed history.

I’d like to educate young people about social justice and encourage them to act, to help change things for the better. After SU, I want to pursue a graduate program in social justice or sociology.

Being part of LeaderShape really set up everything for me. I made so many connections my freshman year that developed into other amazing leadership opportunities. By getting to know Dean Winger and other administrators, I got involved in Sustained Dialogue, am on the Student Conduct Board and am also a resident assistant. I work at TRAX, the student-run nightclub, which is the best job on campus! I’m also stoked about going to Seville, Spain, for a semester.