When Autumn Wong ’25 heard news of the Dec. 13 mass shooting, her mind immediately went to her friends, the students she met when she was a community coordinator and the advisees she worked with during her time as a Meiklejohn peer advisor.
Wong messaged her former residents to offer financial aid and administrative assistance for students trying to find flights out of Providence. After depleting her bank accounts purchasing flights, Wong started the Bruno Flight Fund, which raised over $23,500.
She launched the fund at 11 p.m. on Dec. 14 after “most people had gone to bed,” she wrote in a message to The Herald. “But there were still a lot of students who were nervous about getting out” of Providence who contacted her throughout the night, she added.
Wong’s younger sister experienced a school shooting last year, and Wong was a high school student in Florida when the Parkland shooting happened, so she said she knew how trapped some students might be feeling.
Wong soon enlisted the aid of Sohum Sanu ’25, who contacted her after seeing Instagram posts about the work she was doing. Wong served as the point person, coordinating with 10 to 15 students at a time, while Sanu provided support, booking flights and raising additional funds.
Jenny Urizar ’03 said she learned of the Bruno Flight Fund through a Brown alumni Miami WhatsApp group chat. When she heard that airlines were not giving students refunds or accommodations after the shooting, she contacted former colleagues to look for solutions.
Urizar eventually connected with the team behind The Points Guy — a website that helps people use their credit card points for travel — who set up direct contact lines with the marketing teams for major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Wong then communicated directly with those teams to request refunds for students.
“Everyone, immediately after they heard, wanted to do anything they could to help,” Urizar said.
Bess Kalb ’09.5 said she heard about the shooting through a news alert, and immediately contacted her group of close friends — most of whom she met at Brown.
Kalb, a children’s book author, journalist and Emmy-nominated writer, took to her Substack to express her love for the University. On an Instagram post featuring her Substack piece, she created a fundraiser for Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence nonprofit, which raised $8,400, she said.
“I think it’s a good start,” Kalb said. “Every dollar matters.”
Alums also reached out to Kalb to offer support. She was able to pair students who contacted her with alums to help meet their “immediate needs,” such as funding for flights, Kalb said.
Since so many alums offered to help, “every student who asked was immediately paired with somebody,” she said.
“What we saw in the aftermath of the shooting was how many people cared and how many people just wanted to help in any way they could,” Kalb said. “I think this community of alumni is really, really special.”
Rebecca Goodman is a university news senior staff writer covering career and alumni. She is a junior from Cambridge, MA, studying English. Outside of writing, you can find her at the Avon or in the basement of the Rock.
