President of URI’s P.I.N.K. Lucchina Breneville is “truly inspirational.” PHOTO CREDIT: Eddie Melfi | Staff Photographer
As a double major in textile fashion merchandising & design and Chinese Mandarin, as well as the president of P.I.N.K. Women, which stands for Powerful, Independent, Notoriously Knowledgeable Women, Lucchina Breneville is a valued student and leader.
“In one word, Lucchina is truly inspirational,” said Jonathan Valdez, a third-year supply chain management student, member of B.O.N.D., (Brothers On a New Direction) and a friend of Breneville’s. “She fulfills the leadership role to the highest of her potential and does not disappoint.”
Breneville is an out-of-state student from Massachusetts and is a fifth-year student at the University of Rhode Island. Beginning her first year in 2018, she started her studies as a TMD major, but has had an interest in fashion since high school and knew this was the career for her ever since. She added a Chinese Mandarin major during her second year at the University, when she realized the major influence Asia has on the fashion industry.
“I also figured out within TMD that Asia, and specifically China, is basically the world’s factory for many products, especially textiles and apparel,” Breneville said. “So I figured that combining the two, learning Chinese Mandarin which is a global language, and fashion design, was a good pairing.”
Chinese Mandarin is not the only language Breneville is fluent in, she also has learned Latin, French, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
During Breneville’s first year, she discovered the P.I.N.K. organization. She went through the organization’s enrollment process and credits meeting many of her first college friends through the group.
“I also wanted to join this organization because in high school, in middle school and elementary school, I wasn’t really surrounded by many people that looked like me,” Breneville said. “So this was an organization where most of the girls did look like me and I felt like I could learn things from them, but also improve my self-esteem and gain the leadership opportunities that they could give to me.”
She notes how this is not only a Black and Latina organization, but rather a multicultural organization that unites women from all backgrounds with empowerment.
Breneville has held multiple positions within P.I.N.K., beginning with her first position as fundraising chair during her second year. She then became the merchandiser during her third year, where she designed apparel for the organization, and this opportunity gave her the inspiration to own and manage her own brand in her future career.
Currently, Lucchina is the President of P.I.N.K. Women, a role she was offered by the former president, who asked if she had interest in the position. Her responsibilities include delegating the executive board, handling finances, working on collaborations and being the “face of the organization,” although she does not like to think of herself this way.
“I don’t really like to consider myself to be that only because I feel every single one of us is the face of the org, so I’m kinda just like an add-on,” Breneville said.
She values her position and tries not to “exude power or be the final decision” because she wants to include the opinions of all 129 women in the organization.
Some of the events P.I.N.K hosts include “Nifty Thrifty” where second-hand clothing from donations is sold by the bag, and Breneville notes it is typically a big success. There are also plans to create a “P.I.N.K. week” this semester, and efforts towards community service work are being planned as well.
“I’m glad that it was founded and so I take this position really seriously because I want it to last for 17 more years,” Breneville said, who noted the organization was founded in 2006 by only seven women.
On top of her responsibilities, she also has maintained a job as one of the student managers of Sushi FujiSan and is a mentor for the Chinese Flagship Program. “She has grown into such an outgoing, caring, and selfless leader working alongside of our other e-board members and general members to ensure we uphold our values that are associated with the organization,” Diandra Monteiro said, the sisterhood chair of P.I.N.K. and a friend of Breneville. “I can truly say I’m proud of the person she has become and will continue to be based on all these experiences that she has went through because of P.I.N.K. and so much more.”