Nathalia A. Bernal

Building cultural connections with others in Dubuque has been one of Nathalia A. Bernal’s passions since enrolling at Loras College as an international student in 2017.

“One of my biggest joys is connecting with people who speak Spanish like me and helping them in their native language,” the bilingual Bernal says. While at Loras, Bernal helped Spanish-speaking students and their family members feel welcome in the community by giving campus tours in Spanish and translating commencement materials.

Bernal applies that passion for forging connections to her role as philanthropy coordinator. She works with generous community members to find ways of meeting their personal philanthropic goals while addressing the Dubuque region’s most critical needs with their giving.

Bernal was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, and thanks to the connection to the connection her school back home had with Loras, she enrolled at the college in Dubuque — a city that she nor her family members were familiar with.

She graduated in 2021, triple-majoring in business, finance and international studies, and decided to continue living and working in the city that she has come to love.

Dubuque has become something of a second home to Bernal’s family, who have made trips from Colombia to visit. Her younger sister decided to follow in her footsteps and become a Loras student herself, strengthening their connection to the city.