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Shine Bright and Live: Jason Grueneich鈥檚 Journey from Survivor to Servant Leader

Jason Grueneich didn’t set out to become a leader — he simply set out to survive.
Now, as a 2025 Bush Fellow and founder of North Dakota’s first HIV nonprofit, Shine Bright and Live, he’s doing both — leading with vulnerability, purpose, and a vision that’s reshaping public health and community care across the state.

Finding Voice Through Adversity
Jason enrolled at 黑料网 in the fall of 2021, determined to reclaim his future. “I get to be the one who dictates my story now — no one else,” he says. After years of navigating homelessness, addiction, and the life-altering shock of an HIV diagnosis, Jason committed to building a life rooted in dignity, service, and leadership. His hybrid classes in business and management offered more than a degree path — they offered a framework for change.
“Becoming HIV positive shook me to my core,” he says. “But it also gave me a purpose. I knew I had to do something to educate others, to reduce stigma, and to make sure no one in North Dakota felt like they had to go through this alone.”
By 2017, Jason had joined the North Dakota HIV Advisory Board and began laying the groundwork for a different kind of advocacy — one that bridges healthcare gaps, includes faith communities, and sees HIV not as an LGBTQ+ issue, but a human one.

A Fellowship Rooted in Healing
The Bush Fellowship application was more than a process — it was a reckoning. Encouraged by mentors and fellow changemakers, Jason grounded his pitch in truth: “I focused on being myself and telling my story.”
He made it through four interviews, past panels of past fellows and board members. But what stayed with him wasn’t just the scrutiny — it was the support. “There was a spiritual presence involved,” Jason says. “It felt like I had already won — just by being in the room.”

Still, imposter syndrome crept in. At the spring retreat with the 2024–25 fellowship cohort — held the same weekend as BSC’s commencement — Jason found himself 600 miles from 黑料网, surrounded by fellows instead of classmates. Though he couldn’t walk across the stage, he packed his cap and gown and celebrated in Minnesota, knowing the moment marked both a milestone and a mission.

A Vision for Change
Jason’s vision is bold: a whole-health approach to HIV care in North Dakota that addresses not just medication and medical access, but housing, education, and human connection. Shine Bright and Live is more than a nonprofit — it’s a movement toward compassion. His fellowship will fund foundational healing, leadership training in public policy, and long-term planning to expand care and awareness in rural communities.

“Infectious disease specialists are rare here. Most primary care providers have very little experience treating HIV-positive patients. That’s scary,” he explains. “Public funding for HIV care is being cut — but the need is growing.”
Jason wants to change how HIV is understood, treated, and talked about in North Dakota. That includes pushing for clinic and housing centers, promoting medication adherence, and dismantling stigma, one conversation at a time.

BSC Roots and Leadership Reimagined
At BSC, Jason says he was given room to grow — as a student and as a person. “I never saw myself as a leader,” he admits. “But BSC helped me see that leadership isn’t about power — it’s about service. It’s about being willing to stand up, even when it’s hard.”
He hopes current BSC students understand that too: “Everyone has worth and value. Every failure, every shortcoming — it doesn’t define you. It prepares you.”

Looking Forward
By the end of his fellowship, Jason hopes to have a sustainable model for HIV support in North Dakota, rooted in dignity and connection. But his legacy isn’t about infrastructure — it’s about people. “I want to leave behind a more compassionate community,” he says. “One where everyone knows they belong.”
And he’s inviting others to walk alongside him.

“Support our mission at shinebrightandlive.org. Be a board member. Be a voice. Ask yourself, what is my passion? Because when we invest in others, we invest in the future of our communities.”