Andy Bruni, Assistant Director of Student Development and Operations at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, began working in campus recreation as an undergraduate and fell in love with the profession. Andy was a good employee at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and felt a sense of belonging in campus rec that he had never felt before. When he was given the opportunity to stay at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to work as the recreation center’s Special Events Coordinator, Andy was excited to explore the possibility of a career in campus recreation.
Throughout his first year in the Special Events Coordinator role, Andy learned about going to graduate school and continuing in campus rec as a graduate assistant. He assumed his path would lead him to work in facilities, but he soon realized that his passion was in student development. Even though his path took him in a direction he didn’t foresee, he hasn’t looked back since.
Andy has had many accomplishments since he accepted his position at UMSL. His biggest professional accomplishment, though, is helping create the culture of recreation at the university. UMSL’s rec center opened in 2015, and Andy was there to see it through. He and the rest of the team created “a culture and community within the campus environment that is unrecognizable from where recreation was before [they] got [there].” Andy is excited to see where the recreation culture that he helped build goes in the future.
For any students who aspire to be a recreation professional, Andy advises that you get involved on your campus and broaden your horizons. Become as well-rounded as you can while you’re on campus because that will give you a leg-up on planning your future.
Outside of work, you’ll find Andy brushing up on the Harry Potter series to prepare for his next Harry Potter trivia night. He enjoys deep conversations about anything related to Marvel, Star Wars, and Game of Thrones. To learn more about Andy, you can find him on Facebook (Andy Bruni), Instagram (@abruni15), and Twitter (@abruni15).
