On Wednesday, October 16, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, EGRHS class of 1987, spoke to students in a special assembly at East Grand Rapids High School. Ambassador Brink was in town to receive the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
After speaking to the entire student body, Ambassador Brink ate lunch with faculty members before meeting with two smaller groups of students for informal question and answer sessions. Later in the afternoon, Ambassador Brink attended swim practice, where she told this year’s team she credits her experience as a swimmer in high school with helping her handle stressful situations.
Brink has been the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. She is the first woman ever to be appointed as a U.S. ambassador in a war zone. You can read more about Brink in the alumni interview we conducted with her earlier this year.
Following her day at the high school, Brink was honored at the Foundation’s Awards Dinner that night along with Community Service Award recipients Leslie Hooker and Suzanne Wilcox, who were recognized for their years of work and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, and as the founders of Beer City Dog Biscuits.
Thank you, Foundation donors, for helping make this incredible opportunity available to our students.
