[1] She was orphaned at age 15 and moved to Santo Domingo, where she finished secondary school as part of a new generation of Normalistas[3]: 44 —Latin American women pursuing education beyond primary school—and began a career in the Dominican Republic's civil service.
"[5] This background in the civil service which launched Bernardino's fight for women's rights distinguishes her from many of the feminists of her time: she was not a member of the elite or professional class, but a single woman who had worked part-time jobs, and would continue to work similar jobs even as she became more involved in activism and diplomacy.
Kathleen Tesch highlights these traits in an anecdote included in Akmaral Arystanbekova's article "Diplomacy: Too important to be left to men?
'[6]At the end of her life, Bernardino reflected on her fight for the rights of women with some satisfaction, but admitted to having wanted more change more rapidly: "Fue una época, que parece que no se va repetir.
Pero me siento contenta, porque se avanzó bastante; sembré buena semilla, y ha ido dando sus frutos, aunque no con la celeridad que me hubiera gustado.
"[7] Bernardino worked mainly to advance political rights, and especially to improve women's suffrage in Latin American states.
[18] Bernardino began her fight for women's rights as one of the leaders of Acción Feminista Dominicana, an organization she became involved in while she was still living in the Dominican Republic.
Not only did she participate in fifteen General Assemblies as the Dominican Republic's permanent representative (appointed in 1950),[6] she also held many different leadership positions within the organization.