Local Author Highlight: Stacy Bernal
Stacy Bernal is an author and Ted-X speaker running for Ogden City School Board. “When I moved to Ogden in 2009, I was a single mom, I was going through a divorce, and I was a three-time college dropout. That same year, I ran the Ogden Marathon for the first time, and since then my life has completely changed,” says Bernal.
Bernal enrolled in classes at Weber State University and graduated in 2013. As she began volunteering and getting involved with the community, she spent time working with organizations like the Junior League of Ogden and the Weber-Morgan Children’s Justice Center. She currently serves on the Weber State Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, the Ogden-Weber Technical College Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and is the Vice-Chair of the Ogden Diversity Commission. Alongside her volunteer contributions, she is the founder of Awesome Autistic Ogden. She shares that she is a mother of a neurodivergent child herself, which enhances her already existing passion for the quality of children’s education in our schools.
According to Bernal, Ogden School District includes a large number of socioeconomically disadvantaged students — 79% to be exact — and 16% of students are disabled. “When I serve on the Ogden School Board, I want to make sure those students are being represented and thought about,” she says.
Her website states: “Stacy wants to create ripple effects of positive change.” She offers speaking engagements and one-on-one coaching, based around her knowledge of triumph, inspiration, and overcoming odds. Her talks range in topic but all include her overall message: empowering everyone to live their best lives.
Bernal’s book, “The Things We Don’t Talk About,” is “a humorous and heartfelt look at hardships, healing, and hope.” The title itself speaks of Bernal. She is willing to indulge in the tough, the uncomfortable, and the surprising if it means positive change. As her Twitter account reads, Bernal really is “changing the world, one hard conversation at a time.”
Visit seestacyspeak.com for more information. Photos courtesy of website and instagram @stacybernal4schoolboard
