Kristina Ayers '25 is interning at a medical clinic for the homeless in Washington, D.C. through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty.
Alex Gibson, Berea College '08 Bonner Alum, Reports on Devastating Flooding in Eastern Kentucky
The Louisville Courier Journal published an opinion piece by Alex Gibson titled:
We are prepared for flooding here, but we were not prepared for complete destruction
He begins the piece as follows:
“Floods are a part of life wherever there is water, this is not surprising to us. The North Fork of the Kentucky River flows by the historic, iconic building of Appalshop at 91 Madison Street where we’ve been since 1982. Most days, the trickling fork provides an almost idyllic background noise, a fixture in downtown Whitesburg as people walk daily over it using the walking bridge, some taking a place to rest near it on a bench and enjoy a beautiful day.But water is not always so kind. We are prepared for floods - insurance, contingency plans, emergency response teams that know how to solve these problems quickly and efficiently - because we know that while water can be gentle and a calming balm to a busy day, it can also rip houses from their foundation and sweep people downstream in a matter of seconds.”
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.
Oberlin Bonner Vera Grace Menafee Receives Ping Student Service Award
Liz Brandt from The Bonner Foundation selected for Campus Compact’s Engaged Scholars Initiative
Campus Compact this week announced the 15 faculty and staff selected as the 2022-2023 cohort of Engaged Scholars as part of its Engaged Scholars Initiative. The Engaged Scholars Initiative is a year-long collaborative learning and leadership program. Each cohort consists of a diverse group of early-career faculty and staff who are equipped to lead equity-focused change at their institution and in communities.
Scholars were selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates from Campus Compact member institutions. Scholars were nominated by institutional leaders and represent 14 institutions from 12 states. Members of the cohort hold a wide variety of roles on their campuses, but each has a demonstrated history of effective civic and community engagement work.
HPU’s VISTAs and Bonners Accomplish Service Milestones in 2021-22 Academic Year
Waynesburg Bonner Alumna, Alyson Johnson '22, is a NCAAA Woman of Year nominee
Wilkes University Celebrates Bonner Program's Inaugural Year
Wilkes University just completed it’s first year of their Bonner Program. This video documents the impact of the program on the participating students, staff, and community partners.
Ursinus Bonner Alumna, Kate Bormann, Completes Masters Project on Reformative Prison Design
Kate Bormann (left) at Eknäs Juvenile Detention Facility in Stockholm, Sweden
Kate Bormann, 2018 Ursinus Bonner alumna, completed a masters project titled “Students: Sentenced: Architecture & Design for Imprisoned Rights” through Drexel University’s M.S. in Interior Architecture and Design program. Through the project, Bormann conducted a literature review, interviews, and participated in two site visits abroad. Her work culminated in the development of a model for reformative prison design.
In the introduction of her project presentation, Bormann writes how her Bonner service experiences led her to study prisons and design:
From 2014 to 2018, I volunteered twice a week at Montgomery County Correctional Facility to teach educational classes to incarcerated people. Every Tuesday and Thursday night, I entered the prison site with my teaching supplies to lead a class of ten to eighteen women in reading, writing, and math lessons. While there were many jarring and uncomfortable aspects to this experience, the part that impacted me the most was the conditions of the built environment.
Teaching in this space was one of the most challenging experiences of my life and it inspired my decision to go to graduate school for design.
I witnessed, first-hand, the undeniable power that the built environment has on peoples’ mental health and self-image, and it’s ability to promote certain cultures and mindsets.Upon entering the prison, I routinely cleared a series of automated metal detectors and sliding barred doors before being escorted down a series of corridors. The “classroom”, where I met the students, (see sketch on previous page) consisted of concrete block walls, moldy stains discoloring the ceiling and floor, and iron bars obstructing views outside. For the two hours that I conducted class, we were locked in this space together, being watched through a series of cameras installed overhead. I spent hundreds of hours trying to motivate and encourage these women but the conditions of this environment relentlessly contradicted my efforts.
As I began studying Interior Architecture and Design at Drexel University, this experience was always in the back of my mind. Throughout every design project, I considered the ways that the spatial composition would affect the feelings of the inhabitants, and how my designs could promote a specific social dynamic. For my final thesis project, it only felt right to return my focus to the carceral setting, where my design journey began, to confront our flawed incarceration system through my new, trained, architectural lens.
My challenging experience teaching at Montgomery County Correctional Facility inspired this design project, and continues to inform the way I think as a designer, creator, and problem-solver.
Below are few snapshots of Bormann’s final thesis book “perspectives.”
Check out Bormann’s architecture and design work on her website here.
First In-Person Bonner Summer Leadership Institute since 2019 held at TCNJ
Approximately 290 Bonner students, staff, faculty, and other individuals from 52 colleges and universities across the Bonner Network gathered at The College of New Jersey from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18th to participate in the 2022 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute. The theme for the conference was “The Comeback” which celebrated the resiliency and strength of the Bonner community and return of in-person national Bonner gatherings. It also reflected the resilience of individuals across the network, especially during the past few years of the pandemic, economic challenges, racial injustice, and other adversity. The College of New Jersey Bonner Program was founded with just a handful of ambitious students in 2004 under the leadership of the late Pat Donohue. The program has grown to be a landmark of the TCNJ and Trenton community with now over 90 Bonner Scholars serving across 20+ community partner organizations and growing each year. This Bonner Summer Leadership Institute was important for many reasons, including continuing the legacy of founder and former director, Pat Donohue. It also held a special meaning to many individuals in the Bonner Network, including the Alumni Network Manger at the Bonner Foundation, Arthur Tartee Jr., who shared:
This Summer Leadership Institute was indeed a comeback for me as a native of Trenton. I would not have known about the Bonner Program if it was not for the TCNJ Bonner students when I was in high school – and for that, I am forever grateful.
Rider University Bonner, Love Oluwadare ‘22 recognized by Center for the Development of Leadership Skills
Love Oluwadare ‘22 and Marc Suntup ‘74 are Rider's 2022 Leadership Legacy Award recipients.
Rider’s Center for the Development of Leadership Skills (CDLS) has named Love Oluwadare '22 and Marc Suntup '74 its 2022 Leadership Legacy Award recipients.
The award is bestowed upon one graduating senior and one alumnus or alumna each year who have demonstrated excellence in leadership through service to others.
"Both Marc and Love embody the spirit of the Leadership Legacy Award in that their leadership was focused on assuring they included and empowered those around them as they developed initiatives for their communities that would create a lasting impact,” says Laura Seplaki, associate director of CDLS.
A biology and health sciences double major, Oluwadare served in numerous leadership roles for organizations during her time at Rider. She was an orientation leader, a mentor in Rider's General Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies program for undeclared majors, the chairperson for the Student Entertainment Council, a community assistant and a tour guide.
Oluwadare also held various service roles within the Bonner Community Scholar Program. The scholarship program selects a small number of students per year to complete 300 hours of community service. She was selected to serve as a senior Bonner intern, a role reserved for one student at each Bonner campus who demonstrates a deep commitment to the program. As an intern, she played a key role in daily operations, creating student development opportunities, supporting fellow Bonner Scholars, especially first-year students, and served as a liaison to other organizations on campus and in the community. Oluwadare was also a Meals on Wheels intern and manager of Rider's on-campus student pantry. She mentored many younger members within the organization and even created a mentorship program for the Bonner Scholars.
Suntup has supported his community through work as a top-level leader and mentor with nonprofit organizations including the American Heart Association, the Gurwin Jewish Healthcare Foundation and Island Harvest Food Bank. Suntup and his teams raised more than $250 million dollars for the nonprofit organizations under his watch.
During his time at Rider as a political science major, Suntup was vice president of his freshman and sophomore classes, chairman of the Student Affairs Council, a resident assistant and a resident supervisor.
Launched in 2004, the Center for the Development of Leadership Skills provides effective leadership training and quality programming to develop the leadership capacities of the Rider community. The Center complements and expands upon Rider’s tradition of producing tomorrow’s innovative leaders and confident professionals.
Emily Curran ’22 Earns Fellowship from the National Science Foundation
After a superstar undergraduate career, Emily Curran ’22 will start her PhD program with an extra boost from one of the nation’s preeminent STEM fellowships.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded sociology major Emily Curran ’22 a grant toward graduate school through its prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Out of 12,000 applicants, Curran was one of just 2,000 incoming graduate students to earn the award, putting her in the top 16 percent of an ultra-competitive pool of eligible postgrads.
Powered by Plants: Davidson College Bonner Scholar, Louisa Bartkovich ’22 Named Smith Scholar
Spelman College Class of 2022 Valedictorian: Nailah Barnes, Bonner Scholar
Campus Compact honors two CSB and SJU recent Bonner alums for civic impact
Iesha-LaShay Phillips: Fourth-Year, Bonner Scholar, Truman Scholar, Community Organizer, Future Yale Law Student
Davidson College's Luis Cordero ’22 Selected as Watson Fellow
Luis Cordero ‘22 with two other Davidson College students Ellie Lipp ‘22 and Chichi Odd ‘22 are among the 54th Class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows. Their research will examine how countries around the world treat the challenges of aging and elder care, perceptions of disability and the mental health of athletes.
Amelia Ruggles '22 honored at Capital University
Announcing New Bonner Curriculum on Empathy-Building
We are pleased to share with you three new training guides on empathy building. Empathy - the ability to understand another person’s emotions - is considered one of the crucial skills in any work space. As one of the intended program outcomes, building empathy is of great value to students, especially those in the Bonner Program or others who collaborate with diverse individuals and populations.
Each guide includes interactive exercises involving active listening techniques, authentic dialogue, perspective-taking, and organic conversations to help participants practice empathy building. The guides also integrate the arts as a medium to express and understand ideas and experiences.
