Student Scholar Spotlight: Joey Bernal Alonzo

Joey Bernal Alonzo, a junior double majoring in communication and journalism, never takes attending university for granted. 

Gratitude drives Joey — for her parents’ sacrifices and for the U of A Bayne Access to Education Scholarship, which recognized her academic and community efforts in high school. Being selected changed everything. 

“Without this scholarship,” Joey said, “I would’ve had to take gap years to save money — or even return to Mexico for a more affordable education.” 

The scholarship lifted a major burden, allowing Joey to dive into campus life. She was vice president of the U of A Musical Theater Club and now works as a resident advisor in the SBS Living Learning Community at Árbol de la Vida and as news director at UATV3. With three years of French, Joey plans to study in Provence and become trilingual.

Joey is drawn to solutions journalism and nonprofit communications — using storytelling to highlight people and projects creating change — and later, hopes to empower undergraduates, like the Bayne Scholarship did for her. 

“The Bayne Access to Education Scholarship has profoundly shaped my entire university experience — providing opportunities to grow in ways I never thought possible,” she said. “Through my career, I plan to give back to students, by using my voice and helping others in their own pursuit of success.”

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This story was included in the fall 2025 Developments newsletter.