Ella Bruno

Activist, Christian, Student, Writer/Editor

Ella Bruno has been in her own dream world since she could physically dream. Her stories circulate through her mind far more than reality ever does, and she finished writing her first professional book in the summer of 2019. She's been in the Colorado Early Colleges district since 7th grade and is invested in achieving anything and everything she finds interesting. Her interests range from hiking to writing alone in the dark to binge-watching cheesy RomComs with a bowl of cookie dough in her lap. However lighthearted her hobbies may be, she is fiercely passionate about those in her community experiencing homelessness and strives to make the underprivileged feel important in a society driven to make them feel forgotten. She also loves french fries.

From a young age, we were raised to avert our eyes from those experiencing homelessness. Yes, we were supposed to care, but never did we help. Never did we meet their eye or return a smile. Quite often, we expect the problem of homelessness to be solved by others, but I want to be that "other." I want to be the one to bring someone experiencing homelessness into my home or buy them a meal on my way home from school. I want to be the one to eradicate the cycle of homelessness. My passion lies where my heart breaks, and it breaks every time I think of someone experiencing homelessness. Let's stop this. Now.

One day, in the dark depths of high school, one of my teachers asked me if I'd be interested in speaking in a TEDx. Of course, I responded with a resounding yes, but little did I know that I'd end up leading and organizing the entire event. Alongside teachers, students, news videographers, head administrators, community members, and obviously my parents, TEDxYouth@CECFC became an event everyone was eager for. November 12th! Let's do this!

Sleep-writing! A lot of what I end up writing about in stories or speeches is conjured up while I'm dreaming. Plotlines unfold, sparking new ideas I never would have thought of awake. I can think of some pretty ridiculously creative story ideas behind a computer, but nothing compares to when I'm dreaming.