Agent Bruington plays Uno against other students in an after-school gaming club in the library.
You pass them at entry and in the hallways of Truman every single day. But how much do you really know about your School Safety Agents? In this new series, we will take a closer look at the personalities behind the uniforms and badges.
Agent Bruington started her career as an EMT. (Photo: LaGuardia CC)
“I’m still trying to figure out the dream just like everybody else,” says Agent Bruington. Now in her third year in School Safety, she says she actually has aspirations of one day working in the music industry.
“I love music,” Bruington says. Her uncle is a long-time DJ and is partly responsible for inspiring her to begin building her collection of mixing equipment. She’s also been known to sing when the opportunity is right.
It has been a long and winding pathway since Bruington graduated from Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and Arts. She earned her diploma in 2009 around the same time that artist Cardi B was there. Yes, Bruington knows Cardi B… and Cardi B knows Bruington.
She attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and then moved to LaGuardia Community College – where she became a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She spent three years as an EMT and a short stint with the United States Postal Service before arriving at Truman in School Safety.
Agent Bruington and student Nahjae Noble talk sports after school in January. Noble plays basketball for the Mustangs.
“I like working with people. I like to be around the kids and having fun with them and seeing what their interests are,” she says. It’s that daily interaction that she loves the most. “We get to watch them just be kids. I like when they come to me with stuff. They look forward to seeing you. They talk to you, give you hugs, high-fives. It’s just a great experience.”
Unfortunately, there are times when School Safety has to step in and deal with students who are going through personal struggles or crises. Bruington says it’s the most difficult, and least favorite part of her job.
“They don’t know at the moment, what it can do to them in the future,” she says. “I try to explain to them before it gets there, but you can’t get through to everybody, and that’s what I’m learning as I work here.”
Agent Bruington helped hand out gifts to students on the day before winter break.
But even with the daily ups-and-downs of the job, Bruington says the Truman family – and her School Safety team add to her enjoyment in coming to work everyday.
“They’re hilarious. I love them. They’re not afraid to be themselves,” she says. “What I love about school safety is, they teach you. You’re going to learn something new everyday here, and they don’t mind showing you how to do it.”