Staff Profile
Robert Hackett
From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine ...

In celebration of Elaine Wheeler's retirement, we honor her invaluable contribution to the Bonner Foundation. Her commitment and mentorship have been instrumental in our growth as a Foundation and the Network we have today. As she embarks on her retirement, we celebrate her legacy of dedication and look forward to the path she has paved for us.

From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine Wheeler's Retirement Celebration
Robert Hackett
Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

With over three decades sharing campus examples, guides, and documents to download, the Bonner Foundation is excited to announce a recently updated Bonner Resources Wiki.

This summer, the five National Bonner Summer Interns at the Foundation — Anu Baskar (George Mason ‘24), Camila Guayasamin (The College of New Jersey ‘24), Dominique Dore (University of Houston ‘22), Mikaela Chin (High Point University ‘24) and Selah Ndouta (Capital University ‘22) — worked with the Foundation staff to refresh the look of the wiki’s homepage and, more importantly, update campus examples and other documents.

They devoted particularly attention to the Bonner Program Management and Community-Engaged Learning sections. In addition, Mikaela and Dominique also created a short video on how to navigate this wealth of knowledge.

Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

Berry College

Bonner Scholar Lirio Morales, Berry College '23, Enters Harvard With Plans to Impact Youth Education

Bonner Scholar Lirio Morales, Berry College '23, Enters Harvard With Plans to Impact Youth Education

Lirio Morales Ibarra ‘23, a Bonner who majored in sociology and anthropology at Berry College, was accepted into Harvard's Educational Leadership, Organizations and Entrepreneurship Program. Her experiences at Berry, particularly in serving the community, played a significant role in her success. Lirio's goal is to be in a leadership role at a youth-serving nonprofit and to create a scalable, transformational, and financially sustainable social enterprise to empower students from marginalized communities to attain educational success.

Berry College's Bertha Nibirgira '18 Embraces Peacebuilding and Empowering International Youth

Berry College's Bertha Nibirgira '18 Embraces Peacebuilding and Empowering International Youth

Bertha Nibigira ’18, who majored in sociology and anthropology, graduated with a Master of Arts from American University’s School of International Service, with an emphasis on international development,  peacebuilding and youth empowerment. Her perspective on international issues began early in life, as her family fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Tanzania and eventually resettled in the United States.   

Bonner Jasmine Rangel profiled by UVA Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Bonner Jasmine Rangel profiled by UVA Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Jasmine Rangel considers herself lucky; she’s never been without a place to live. But when she looks back on her childhood, she often feels amazed by the tenuousness of that good fortune.

“If any small thing had gone wrong, my life now would be completely different,” said Rangel, who on Friday will receive a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Rangel’s parents emigrated to the United States from Mexico before she was born. Given that her mother was undocumented, fear of deportation loomed. Money was also tight; her father worked in construction and her mother as a housekeeper.

But the neighborhood outside Atlanta where Rangel grew up wasn’t far from a public library. She remembers walking back from visits there with her mother, carefully carrying as many as 10 or 15 books at once as she made her way over the uneven sidewalk.

Since her mother couldn’t drive, if they had lived too far from the library to get there on foot, they might not have gotten there at all. And if that had been the case, she said, “I don’t think I would have had the curiosity that I do – the motivation to learn like I do now.”

Rangel has since become passionate about affordable housing. A first-generation college student, she completed her undergraduate degree with support from the Bonner Foundation, which awards scholarships to diverse, low-income students, and went on to work for the New Jersey-based organization through Americorps.

Political Science Grad Raises the Bar at Berry and Beyond

Political Science Grad Raises the Bar at Berry and Beyond

Like many college students, 2015 graduate Amanda Petersen Barney came to Berry with a plan. She entered as a communication major with the intent of becoming a journalist, but after taking several political science and government classes she discovered a real interest in the law. Now, Amanda works as an associate attorney with Becker & House, PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona.

At Berry Amanda threw herself into intense study, majoring in political science and minoring in communication all while participating in the esteemed Honors Program. Her Honors thesis focused on the political empowerment of women in Rwanda, Nepal and Nigeria and was instrumental in helping her to acquire a portion of her scholarship to law school.

But she didn’t limit herself to hitting the books. An accomplished equestrian, she helped lead the team to a national victory just before she graduated. She was also a Bonner Program scholar, spending much of her free time working in several community-oriented organizations in Rome.