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.
The Bonner Foundation welcomes four exceptional 2023 Bonner summer interns who will work on Bonner curriculum development, resource development for strategic communications, and researching models for career pathways and connections. The interns will collaborate with Bonner Foundation staff members across different projects and support the 2023 Summer Leadership Institute. Their full bios can be found on the Bonner Foundation staff page.
Stephen Omukoko Okoth, Oberlin Bonner Scholar Class of 2025, was selected as one of three Earth Prize Mentors of the Year. The Earth Prize recognizes the students and schools with the best solutions to accelerate positive change towards environmental sustainability, as judged by The Earth Prize Adjudicating Panel. The Earth Prize 2023 will now recognize three Mentors with The Earth Prize Mentor of the Year award, as voted by the competition’s Participants.
Sadie Owens is a Bonner Scholar who has contributed significantly to community service projects at school. She discusses how the Bonner program has allowed her to explore her academic and professional interests while impacting the community positively. She praises the diverse Oberlin community for its ideas, insights, and specialized knowledge.
Owens also reflects on the unique and close-knit Bonner Scholar community, fostering intimate conversations and relationships. She fondly remembers the All-Bonner Retreat, where she and others reflected on their growth and development at Oberlin.
Overall, Owens' experiences demonstrate the power of community service to shape individuals' academic and personal growth.
The Newman Civic Fellowship supports college students who are committed to their communities and creating social change. Nominated by their president or chancellor, fellows receive training and resources through the yearlong program. This includes virtual learning opportunities, networking, and an optional in-person convening. The fellowship is named after Campus Compact founder Frank Newman and is a key part of their mission to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can create partnerships between campuses and communities. The 2023-2024 Nominated Newman Civic Fellows are: Aaliyah Moore ‘24, Angel Young ‘24, Aylon Gipson ‘23, Halle Gensler ‘25, Lauren Funke ‘24, and Paul Nguyen ‘25.
Centre College’s Bonner Program wanted to focus its yearly service exchange project on something that visiting Bonner students from other schools could take back to their communities. Centre Bonner students worked with community partners to meet that goal — and participating students said it made for an impactful weekend. Bonner students from Lindsey Wilson College, Kentucky Wesleyan College and Berea College were all in attendance.
The exchange weekend provided Bonner students from across the state a chance to learn from the work and experiences of their peers, as well as instructors at their home institutions.
Bonner students first toured the award-winning “We Were Here” exhibit, which details the devastating effects urban renewal had on Danville’s African American community, and then heard from local leaders Cindy Peck, Michael Hughes and Danville Mayor J.H. Atkins.
Bonner Scholar, Marisol Cora-Cruz, 2023 Neuroscience major at Earlham College, has been awarded the prestigious Watson Fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year. Her project, "Understanding Maternal Healthcare Around the World," will take her to Bolivia, England, and Germany to explore access to and quality of maternal healthcare in countries with different healthcare models. This is Cora-Cruz's second major award in the last year, having previously earned the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Several DePauw students, along with Anna Sherrill, the coordinator of community-based learning at DePauw, attended the 2023 IMPACT Conference at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to learn about civic engagement and community service. The Bonner Foundation facilitated the students' connection to the conference, and since then, several students have had the opportunity to attend. See full story.
Victor-Alan Weeks, an Atlanta native, visited Sapelo Island for the first time as a student just a few months before Tropical Storm Irma. As part of an Africana Studies course at Davidson College in North Carolina, Weeks had taken a tour of Hog Hammock, learning more about the history of the Gullah Geechee people. “I never heard about Sapelo Island before,” Weeks said, who was majoring in both digital media and ethnography. “My first impression was: This is a place of serenity, restoration, and with its past, there are a lot of stories to be revealed from the land and the people.”
For over two decades, the philosophy professor and (now former) director of the Univeristy of the. South’s Office of Civic Engagement has been at the center of efforts to push Sewanee’s academic and co-curricular offerings out of the ivory tower and into the community, where they can make a real difference. Read full profile here.
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.
One year ago, Professor Adrienne Schwarte and Mark O’Gorman learned about a Bonner Foundation grant that would allow them to start a class focused on social action, and they knew they wanted to get involved. Their passions in design and political science, as well as their involvement with the Center for Community Engagement at Maryville College, came together to create the new “Art, Design, and American Politics” course.
To sum up the mission of the class, Schwarte said, “It’s important to make sure people realize that individuals can make a difference; they do make a difference, and it happens every day.”
The Bonner Foundation is excited to announce a new graduate school partnership with the Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership Program at the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.
The new Bonner-MSNPL partnership provides an application fee waiver to Bonner Scholars/Leaders, alumni, or staff. Additionally, Bonner applicants to the MSNPL who are successfully admitted into the program will receive a guaranteed $10,000 one-time scholarship.
Lloyd was recently named to GLAAD’s prestigious “20 Under 20” list of changemakers: a group of outstanding young people who are accelerating acceptance through their work in entertainment and media.
Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton is moving on to become the director of the Teaching Social Action Initiative in collaboration with the Bonner Foundation to encourage students “to apply what they learn about policy to their own organizing. The incorporation of applied activism has been part of his work at SJSU since he started in 1999. The only difference now is he will teach social action to educators, he said.”
On November 18 North Carolina Campus Engagement hosted the 2022 “Engagement Matters” Student Awards Ceremony. Nineteen outstanding students, from within the NCCE member network of colleges and universities, were recognized for their civic and community engagement leadership. The award recipients shared powerful insights about what they have gained or learned by being civically engaged. Friends, loved ones, and campus constituents participated in the Ceremony from throughout the country to celebrate these inspiring students.
Since 2006, the Community Impact Student Awards recognize an outstanding, full-time undergraduate or graduate student service leader from each member campus.
All award winners should clearly demonstrate:
Deep commitment to partnering with others to address community issues
Outstanding ability to lead and inspire fellow students to engage
Evidence of sustainable impact of their work
Two Bonner students were selected by their institution to receive at 2022 Community Impact Student Award (CISA).
In the summer of 2022, National Bonner Summer Interns, Selah Ndouta, Capital University ‘22, Anu Baskar, George Mason University ‘24, and Camila Guayasamin, The College of New Jersey ‘24, led by Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director, at the Bonner Foundation, worked on a strategic outreach project to increase Bonner’s currently underrepresented graduate school partnerships. This included with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions, and in the STEM fields. The latest graduate school to partner with The Bonner Foundation to provide special benefits to Bonner students and alumni – the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine – was part of that effort.
Earlier this month, Humanity in Action and The Corella & Bertram Bonner Foundation formalized a new partnership. This new three-year partnership commits Humanity in Action to hold at least one Fellowship spot per year for a Bonner Student, while the Bonner Foundation will promote Humanity in Action programs amongst its network and encourage Bonner Scholars and Leaders to apply. The agreement also carries an option to extend the partnership should both organizations wish to do so.
The Bonner Program is a four-year commitment in which Bonner Students commit to a weekly commitment to intensive and meaningful service with a local community organization over the four years as an undergraduate student at one of the Foundation’s campus partners. Bonner Scholars and Leaders also commit to continuing this service over the summer, and the Humanity in Action Fellowship will count towards fulfilling this obligation.
