Alumni Profile
Robert Hackett
Spelman College Bonner Alum, Dr. Maranda C. ...

Maranda C. Ward, Ed.D., MPH, Spelman College Bonner Scholar ‘02 Alum has been awarded Campus Compact’s Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement. Dr. Ward is the assistant professor and director of the Equity Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Spelman College Bonner Alum, Dr. Maranda C. Ward, Awarded The Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement
Campus Profile
Robert Hackett
A Banner Year for Bonners: TCNJ Bonner Program ...

TCNJ’s Bonner Community Scholars Program launched 20 years ago, it started with just 12 Bonner Scholars — students who commit to 300 hours of community service annually in exchange for needs-based scholarships. Now, with close to 100 participants each year, the TCNJ program is one of the largest and most successful in a nationwide network of Bonner college programs.

A Banner Year for Bonners: TCNJ Bonner Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary
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

Student Recognition

Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Grant Supports ‘Books with College Buddies’ at St. Cloud COP House

Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Grant Supports ‘Books with College Buddies’ at St. Cloud COP House

Anna Watt, Reagan Bos and Maria Hall all will be teachers in the not-too-distant future, and part of their training other than education coursework at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSB/SJU) includes real-world exposure to potential students.

This can mean shadowing teachers in the classroom and, eventually, student teaching. These three CSB undergrads, however, are going above and beyond what is required to engage with diverse children in St. Cloud as part of a grant-sponsored “Books with College Buddies” program.

Terri Rodriguez, in her ninth year as an education professor at Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s, started the program in the spring of 2021 with $3,000 in support via funding from the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and the Optimist Club of St. Cloud.

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9 Bonners Selected for 2022-23 Newman Civic Fellowship

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9 Bonners Selected for 2022-23 Newman Civic Fellowship

The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor on the basis of their potential for public leadership.

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. The yearlong program, named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, includes virtual learning opportunities and networking as part of a national network of engaged student leaders and an optional in-person convening.

Campus Compact views the Newman Civic Fellowship as a core component of our strategy to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can support one another in building transformational partnerships between campuses and communities.

Below we have included the personal statement from each of the nine Bonners who are part of the 2022-23 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

University of Richmond Bonner Scholar Receives Grant Support For Environmental Justice Project

University of Richmond Bonner Scholar Receives Grant Support For Environmental Justice Project

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — University of Richmond students McKenna Dunbar, a junior from Washington, D.C., and Indya Woodfolk, a senior Bonner Scholar from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, received a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant to support a project empowering minoritized peoples related to environmental justice.

Projects for Peace is an initiative supporting college students on grassroots projects that are designed to build peace.

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.

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Watson Fellowship to Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Watson Fellowship to Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil

Madi Goetzke ’21 will spend a year traveling the world as a Watson fellow to analyze the role of communally-based cultural heritage sites which double as UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. Her project, Reimagining Access to Communal Cultural Heritage Sites, will take Goetzke through the Global South, including Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil.

Spelman Bonner Alum to Serve in U.S. Department of Education

Spelman Bonner Alum to Serve in U.S. Department of Education

Kabrillen Jones, Spelman College Class of 2015, is one of the latest Spelman alumnae to join the President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris administration.

In February, Jones was named special assistant in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.

Three Bonners Publish Essays in International Undergraduate Journal for Service-learning, Leadership, and Social Justice

Three Bonners Publish Essays in International Undergraduate Journal for Service-learning, Leadership, and Social Justice

The Spring 2020 volume of the International Undergraduate Journal for Service-learning, Leadership, and Social Justice features three reflections pieces by Bonner Leaders at Siena College including:

The Journal has been downloaded over 10,600 downloads from 142 countries. The Journal is dedicated to providing undergraduate students a venue to discuss their service-learning projects and experiences.

Findings from 2019 Bonner Student Impact Survey Released

Findings from 2019 Bonner Student Impact Survey Released

March 17, 2020 — The Bonner Foundation is pleased to release a new report that showcases the findings from the 2018-2019 implementation of a newly revised Bonner Student Impact Survey from across its national network of 65 institutions. Since 1990, the Bonner Program has provided colleges and institutions with a viable model for supporting college access for diverse, low-income students. Integrated into the work-study and scholarship of their financial aid packages, this cohort-based program enables Bonner students to participate in a rigorous, developmental progression of community engagement which is reinforced with regular training, education, and reflection. The Bonner Program has also helped campuses integrate community engagement campus-wide by providing a variety of models for scaffolded learning in both curricular and co-curricular student life, with student leadership as a core feature.

Read full story here.

Designed to share widely, the report expounds on these findings. Download a PDF copy here.

17 Bonners Named Newman Civic Fellows

17 Bonners Named Newman Civic Fellows

Bonners from 17 campuses in our national network were among those who received the 2020 Newman Civic Fellows Award from the Campus Compact.

Spelman Bonner Scholar Named Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow

Spelman Bonner Scholar Named Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow

A Spelman College art history and international studies double major and Bonner Scholar is the second student from the College to earn a 2019–2021 Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship.

Destinee Fillmore joins an incoming cohort of 12 students selected to participate in the competitive program, which was designed to encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate studies in art history and curation.  

Fillmore began her two-year fellowship at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art this fall where she works with curators and staff on exhibitions, collections and programs. 

UNC-Charlotte Bonner Leader Receives “Civic Trailblazer” Award

UNC-Charlotte Bonner Leader Receives “Civic Trailblazer” Award

Senior Bonner Leader Neariah Mandisa-Drummond is the 2019 recipient of the John H. Barnhill Civic Trailblazer Award. Since 2011, North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities, has presented the award annually to one college student in the state who has created and led innovative projects that address community needs.

While at UNC Charlotte, Mandisa-Drummond has developed a passion for serving people as a member of the institution’s inaugural class of Bonner Leaders. Along the way, she combined community service with her academic studies, motivated her peers to join in the work and created new programs and partnerships that will continue to engage students and impact communities even after she leaves Charlotte.

In her first year as a Bonner Leader, Mandisa-Drummond worked at Friendship Trays, a meal-on-wheels program for people in Charlotte experiencing food insecurity. Mandisa-Drummond worked with her team to research the possibility of developing a food rescue program connected to Friendship Trays. In her second year of volunteering at the nonprofit organization, she used her skills as a communications major to work on a social media and video marketing strategy.

Jeffrey Howard, Union College '10 Bonner Scholar, Named 2019-20 White House Fellow

Jeffrey Howard, Union College '10 Bonner Scholar, Named 2019-20 White House Fellow

Jeffery Howard, a Bonner Scholar and 2010 graduate of Union College, was appointed to the 2019-2020 class of White House Fellows.  The highly regarded White House Fellowship provides professionals from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage in public service for one year by serving in various roles in the Federal Government.

Frankie Dakin, Rhodes College '14 Bonner Scholar, Named Truman Democracy Fellow

Frankie Dakin, Rhodes College '14 Bonner Scholar, Named Truman Democracy Fellow

Frankie Dakin, Bonner Scholar and Rhodes College Class of 2014, was just named a 2019 Truman Foundation Democracy Fellow. Frankie currently serves as appointed Public Outreach Liaison for Shelby County, Tennessee. He was appointed to that role by Mayor Lee Harris in September 2018. As Public Outreach Liaison, he manages special projects and is responsible for implementing strategies to ensure feedback is received from citizens, community groups, elected officials, and other agencies to support specific initiatives.

Morehouse Wins 2019 Citizenship Award from Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Morehouse Wins 2019 Citizenship Award from Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

ATLANTA, Ga. - Morehouse College claimed the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Citizenship Award. The award was presented to Director of Athletics, Andre Pattillo, at the 2019 Athletic Director's Meeting for their community outreach efforts.

The SIAC, whose goal is to empower surrounding communities, launched the SIAC Citizenship Award to annually recognize athletic departments that best exemplify the spirit of community and demonstrates values of volunteer community service and engagement.

The Morehouse Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) partnered with the Bonner Office of Community Service to earn this year's SIAC Citizenship Award.

Montavius Coleman (Adams Scholar and track & field champion), Michael Sims (all-conference quarterback and Bonner Scholar) and Eric Daily (Bonner Scholar) served as project managers, meeting with Kevin D. Chapman, Jr., SAAC co-advisor/assistant director of the Bonner Office of Community Service, on weekly basis, each facilitating meetings where they discussed strategy regarding student initiatives, community service, community engagement and fundraising events. Each week the men of Morehouse identified community partners, planned, marketed and implemented events and audited conference reports of their service efforts.

Peace Corps Next Adventure for Two Lynchburg Bonners

Peace Corps Next Adventure for Two Lynchburg Bonners

Each year, the Peace Corps receives 18,000 applications and accepts only 4,000 people for service positions abroad. This year, three of the 4,000 volunteers fulfilling their passions for humanitarian work are soon-to-be University of Lynchburg alumni.

Two of the Lynchburg alumni are Bonner Leaders. International relations and Spanish major Hannah Wolf ’19 will join the Peace Corps’ education program and Biomedical science major Dakota Shepherd ’19 will join the health program as a community health promoter in Sierra Leone. A third Lynchburg alum, French major Caitlin Tolley ’19 . Woll, will be stationed in Rwanda with an education program.

Twelve Bonners Named 2019-20 Newman Civic Fellows

Twelve Bonners Named 2019-20 Newman Civic Fellows

The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor on the basis of their potential for public leadership.

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. The yearlong program, named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, includes virtual learning opportunities and networking as part of a national network of engaged student leaders and an optional in-person convening.

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Macalester Bonner Alum Presents Findings on Capitol Hill

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Macalester Bonner Alum Presents Findings on Capitol Hill

The 25th Class of Emerson National Hunger Fellows gathered at Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, February 28, to present their findings from their six months spent working to end hunger with local organizations in communities across the U.S.

Chesterfield Polkey, a 2018 Bonner alum from Macalester College, is a member of this year’s Emerson National Hunger Fellows. He served the first half of his fellowship at Just Harvest, a local community organization in Pittsburgh, PA.

Spelman Bonner Scholar Among Inaugural Minority Entrepreneur Fellows from HBCUs

Spelman Bonner Scholar Among Inaugural Minority Entrepreneur Fellows from HBCUs

ATLANTA (February 18, 2019) – A Spelman College student is part of an inaugural cohort of fellows in a program that aims to increase minority entrepreneurs from historically Black colleges and universities.

Destinee Filmore, C’2021, is among the 25-member cohort of the Mary Ellen Pleasant Entrepreneur Fellowship program. The MEPE Fellowship, an outgrowth of a partnership between The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and minority-owned recruiting marketing platform, The Whether, is part of a $775,000 Innovations in Career Advising grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“These types of learning opportunities contribute to the transformational experiences that shape the lives of Spelman students,” said Darryl Holloman, Ph.D., vice president for student affairs.  “Destinee’s selection aligns with Spelman’s efforts to train innovative change agents who, in turn, have a positive impact on the world. We are proud of Destinee for this accomplishment.”

TCNJ Bonners' "The Streetlight" Wins NJ Journalism Prize

TCNJ Bonners' "The Streetlight" Wins NJ Journalism Prize

The Streetlight, published by TCNJ students with and for people experiencing homelessness in and around Trenton, won first place in the 2019 NJ News Commons Excellence in Local News competition.

“Community engagement was at the core of Streetlight reporting in 2018, from profiles about local soup kitchens and community organizations to interviews with residents who have experienced homelessness to an investigation into severe weather closings at the Trenton Free Public Library,” according to the Center for Cooperative Media announcement.

“They also held editorial review board meetings, where representatives from local organizations such as the Trenton area soup kitchen and the mercer alliance to end homelessness reviewed our articles and collaborated with their newsroom to suggest future story ideas. One such story focused on a father and son who reunited at the rescue mission of Trenton after 24 years, a story that came from discussions with community partners and local residents.”