ANYA GRUENER

High School: Gulliver Preparatory

Hometown: Miami, FL

Anya Gruener's dedication to improving the world rose from her life's challenges and obstacles. Her struggles ignited a powerful motivation to use her personal experiences as fuel, championing for the rights of those who found themselves in despair. Her encounter with a war-torn refugee center in Poland further kindled this fire. While aiding Ukrainian-Russian war victims, prominently women and children prone to human trafficking, the gravity of their harsh realities hit her hard.

She recalls, "Staring into the tearful eyes of a mother who had witnessed children going missing, I vowed to care for her one-year-old daughter until her return." For four weeks, Anya crafted a safe sanctuary in a makeshift daycare for over 250 children, determined to keep them out of harm's way. This marked her continued commitment to using her life to write empowering endings for others, driven by her belief that it's the endings we opt to pen for ourselves, not the dark chapters, that truly define us.

Upon her return to the US, the empathetic force within her pushed her to continue leading the nonprofit Active Love USA Foundation, which she co-founded in 2020. The organization stands true to her spirit of service, focusing on supporting victims of human trafficking and domestic violence by assisting their escape and aiding their recovery journey. Through a partnership initiative with Wild Fork Foods, an international grocery chain, her nonprofit raised over $200k by selling reusable totes. A substantial part of the proceeds has been redirected to support the fight for migrant workers in South Florida to gain legal immigration status.

Precise in her purpose and tactics, she shares, "Pursuing a BA in Public Policy, I plan to use my voice, my most powerful possession, to speak for those who do not have the freedom or platform to do so, with the career aim of advocating for human rights and making my mark in international law or public policy."

Beyond Active Love USA, her commitment to social justice reflects in her academic and extracurricular pursuits. Serving as the managing editor of her school's publication, the Raider Voice, Anya implemented a section, 'RV en Español,' specifically for the Spanish-speaking audience. This initiative is a part of her broader goal to address the scarcity of marginalized voices in the media. Furthermore, at Gulliver Preparatory in Miami, Florida where she studies, she leads a cohort of over forty peer health educators through the Health Information Project, educating over 200 freshmen on various critical topics.

Generously recognized for her achievements in community service, Anya has received accolades, including being named a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, a Coca-Cola Scholar, and being nominated for a Miami Herald Silver Knight Award in Social Science, widely deemed among some of the most prestigious student awards programs in the nation. In addition to her multiple awards, Anya boasts an impressive academic record with a spotless 4.0 GPA and an array of advanced and IB courses.

Looking towards a promising future, Anya plans to major in public policy. She intends to use her higher education to acquire knowledge and skills that will empower her to counter sociological issues affecting Hispanic communities, aiming to implement socio-political solutions and curb factors increasing susceptibility to human trafficking in undocumented Hispanic communities in South Florida and beyond.