The 2026 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute brought together over 350 changemakers from more than 60 colleges to explore civic engagement, social innovation, and the future of democracy on the banks of the Raritan River. Highlighting Bonner’s commitment to community‑focused learning, the week featured plenary discussions, workshops, and networking events that equipped participants with practical tools and collaborative networks to advance equity and public service on their campuses.
Madilyn McGreevy’s college journey at Rider University is defined by her extensive service as a Bonner Community Leader, where she dedicated over 2,100 hours to supporting children and families in high‑need communities. Through Bonner, she led tutoring initiatives, mentored peers, and completed an Impact Internship, experiences that have prepared her to work as an educational specialist after graduation.
Nyrobi Whitfield ’26 has found purpose through hands-on learning beyond the classroom with Oberlin’s Center for Engaged Liberal Arts (CELA). Through early research in aquatic science and later marine ecology work, Whitfield has turned coursework into tangible climate and environmental insights. Service as a lifeguard and swim instructor, along with sustainability leadership on campus, has deepened Whitfield’s commitment to community engagement. After graduation, Whitfield plans to pursue a PhD in marine ecology and continue building a career in climate change research.
The Bonner/Canale Program at Sewanee cultivates a community of student leaders dedicated to service and relationship-building with local organizations. Through a structured four-year experience, students engage in significant community projects, gaining skills in leadership, cultural awareness, and civic engagement while fostering trust between the university and surrounding communities.
Berry College, Bonner Alum, Dr. Emily Melchior (16C), has established herself as a prominent figure in animal health research, serving as the Manager of Global Outcomes Research at Zoetis Animal Health. She is recognized for her contributions to ruminant microbiology and nutrition, and she actively supports young professionals through mentorship and her involvement in various organizations.
Tamara Johnson is the 2018 Civic Engagement Professional of the Year – Emerging Leader Award recipient, as presented by North Carolina Campus Compact.
This award recognizes a higher education administrator in the state who works to realize a campus-wide vision of service, supports the engagement of faculty and students and forms innovative campus-community partnerships. The “emerging leader” distinction is for an honoree who has been at the campus for five years or less.
Note: This article appears in the Summer 2018 issue of Stetson University Magazine — the Adventure and Discovery Issue (in mailboxes soon).
Members of the Stetson community helped to establish The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia, which serves the area’s homeless.
Each summer, the Bonner Foundation welcomes four to eight motivated, passionate, and talented Bonner summer interns from our network of 65+ Bonner programs. During this eleven-week internship in Princeton, New Jersey, these professionals bring their Bonner Program experience and share it by developing new resources and strategies for the national network. This year, we are delighted to welcome five exceptional Bonner summer interns:
• Aleah Qureshi, Wofford College ‘18
• Alexander Nichols, Davidson College ‘19
• Ashlee Renich-Malek, Stetson University ‘18
• Kai Magino, The College of New Jersey ‘19
• Taylor Clarke, Stetson University ‘19
This spring, Guilford is graduating another distinguished class of difference-makers. They know what it means to live out the College's seven Core Values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship in their everyday lives. The future is in good hands with student like Marimar Mantuano '18, whom you meet in this video profile on Guilford College's website.
The College of Charleston' Bonner's Bonner Program was initiated 10 years ago by two students, Jyn Repede, '09 and Jamila Harper '08
They learned of the program at the March 2008 IMPACT Conference where they kept meeting students who introduced themselves as "Bonners." Intrigued, they tracked down staff from the Bonner Foundation who encouraged them to take the lead in bringing the program to their campus.
Abigail Bekele, Bonner Scholar Class of 2019, won the Mark of Excellence Award for 2018 in General News Photography for small colleges (< 10,000 enrollment) from the Society of Professional Journalists Region 2 (N.C., Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C.). Her winning photograph entry was titled “Can I have a hug?” and appeared in The Guilfordian accompanying an article on a visit to Guilford College’s campus by Jill and Joe Biden.
BEXLEY, Ohio, April 17, 2018 — Capital University today revealed its inaugural class and outlined the community organizations the students’ efforts will impact in the first year. This comes one year after announcing its formal partnership with The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation to provide scholarships for lower-income, underrepresented and first-generation students with a passion for community engagement and social justice issues.
In recognition of Campus Compact‘s 30th anniversary in 2015-16, the National Campus Compact's Board of Directors asked member presidents and chancellors to join in signing an Action Statement, a declaration of shared commitment to the public purposes of higher education and a promise to develop a Campus Civic Action Plan to realize those purposes more fully.
So far, nine schools in the Bonner Network have completed their Civic Action Plans:
"The Freshman Year Experience is the cornerstone of the Bonner program. It really changes the students' perspective on service and is so impactful on their lives," says Joan Liptrot, assistant director of Campus Life for Service Learning. "Since the snow threw a wrench into our plans, we needed to come up with a way to create a similar experience locally."
Elvis Francois, Bonner grad from Oberlin College, and William Robinson are resident doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and they recently gained attention after a video of them singing in the hospital lobby went viral. Ellen chatted with them about their kind gesture, and the duo performed a cover of Mike Yung's "Alright."
Rutgers Bonner Leaders and Collaborative Center employees travel to Puerto Rico on an Alternative Spring Break to assist in disaster relief. Enjoy this photo album from their trip.
On Saturday, March 3, Wofford College's Bonner Scholarship Program hosted Bonner Scholars from Mars Hill University, Averett University, and Warren Wilson College for a Sophomore Exchange weekend in which they examined Diversity, Inclusion, and Civic Engagement in Bonner Colleges in the American South.
The Bonner Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new partnership with the the Congressional Hunger Center. Through the Zero Hunger Initiative, Bonners will be able to deepen their learning around issues of food security, hunger and poverty and be exposed to ways they can become more effective advocates for promoting policies that address food security and reduce hunger in their campus communities.
Becca Spence Dobias, Guilford Bonner Scholar '08, just wrote a novel titled "Rock of Ages." It tells the story of "an LA transplant struggles over whether to return to rural Appalachia after her father’s death and an abusive relationship. A feisty rule breaker and her abuelita, and maybe a little bit of magic, help her understand the meaning of home."
Each year the Dan River Nonprofit Network holds a Volunteer of the Year Contest to celebrate those throughout the community that go above and beyond with their engagement in the Dan River Region. For the second year in a row, an Averett University student took home the win.
Taylor Doss, Averett sophomore business major, won the 2017 Volunteer of the Year award, voted on by the public. Doss is an Averett Bonner Leader and a cheerleader for the University.
This profile on Sharolyn Wynter '07 by Frank McCoy appeared in Spelman College's Fall 2017 alumni magazine (page 15).
In 2003, as an incoming Spelman first- year student, Sharolyn Wynter was selected to be one of the school’s 80 Bonner Scholars. Wynter’s community service placement site was Raising Expectations Inc.
