’burg and Beyond
Peru
When Alondra Freundt Olaya ’27 moved to the United States from Peru in 2011, she did more than just cross borders. She entered into a new world of opportunity. In rural Peru, due to lack of support systems, only about 36% of girls graduate from high school. In America, Freundt Olaya realized her access to resources could help to close that gap.
What She Did
In 2019, as a 9th grader at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pa., Freundt Olaya was introduced to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Philadelphia, a program that helps students obtain funding to launch their own company or initiative.
Freundt Olaya developed a pitch for what became Unidos para las Niñas (United for Girls), a nonprofit that provides underprivileged girls in Peru with school supplies and empowerment programming. “I believe that passion for learning comes from positive role models and having supplies to succeed,” she says.
Forming a partnership between two Peruvian all-girls schools and Baldwin, Freundt Olaya launched a pen-pal program and fundraised to purchase school supplies and backpacks. She delivers the supply-filled backpacks to girls in Peru over her summer, winter and spring breaks from Bucknell.
“It’s important for the girls to know there are people here who care,” says the biology and political science double-major. “The program also helps our high school students become more aware of their privilege and the things they have access to.”
The Impact
Freundt Olaya has delivered $55,000 worth of school supplies to Peru, and continually recruits guest speakers who provide inspirational talks to the girls, either in person or over Zoom. For Freundt Olaya, it’s about more than just providing tangible resources; it’s a way to reaffirm the importance of education and the worth of each student.
— Megan Collins ’24