Lauren Sermersheim, a Mars Hill University Bonner alumni and current Master’s candidate at the Clinton School of Public Service, has been selected as one of 100 members of the national Youth250 Bureau, a groundbreaking initiative led by Made By Us to amplify young voices in commemorating America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

On Saturday, October 5th, 2024, the Bonner Program celebrated 25 years at Centre College. As part of the college’s 2024 homecoming schedule, the Office of Civic & Community Engagement and the Bonner Program staff, Jessie Weasner, Director, Nathan Whitlock, Assistant Director, and Caitlyn Barnes, Coordinator, alongside Bonner students, organized an anniversary event to celebrate amongst alumni, current students, former staff, and friends of the Bonner Program. 

Mars Hill, North Carolina was among the numerous communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene’s devastating flooding across Appalachia. Reports share that families were trapped inside their homes with minimal access to basic necessities such as food and potable water. As of Wednesday, October 2, many homes still remain uninhabitable, landslides have occurred, and people remain unaccounted for. 

Mars Hill resides in Madison County and is home to Mars Hill University. The University has been home to a Bonner Scholars Program since 1991. For over three decades, Bonner Scholars at Mars Hill have shown up for their community – and the last few days have been no different. In response to the devastation of Helene, Bonner Scholars have helped others gain access to basic needs such as serving food at Mars Hill Baptist, mucking out nearby Marshall, NC, and instilling a sense of hope during a difficult time. 

Xavier Gonzalez (Master of Public Administration ’22) always felt called to make an impact through public service, and he wanted to prepare himself for that future as efficiently as possible. “I had the plan to go through undergrad as quickly as is reasonable, and then hop into a graduate program—make a good effort with it, have fun with it, but quickly get into the workforce so I can be the public servant that I wanted to be when applying for programs in the first place,” he recalls. He completed his studies at Christopher Newport University in two and a half years, focusing on international relations and getting hands-on experience in the public sector as a Bonner Scholar.

“I loved that community and that experience, and I found my niche within public service,” says Xavier. “It takes a long time for change to happen at the international level. In nonprofits and government agencies, you can see a more immediate and direct impact from the work you’re doing.”

Xavier’s experience with the Bonner Foundation introduced him to the Fels Institute of Government, and—rather than remaining focused on international affairs—he felt drawn to the versatility of the Full-time Master of Public Administration program.

On July 28 to 31, the Bonner Foundation welcomed twenty-one staff and faculty to the Bonner Network during the 2024 New Bonner Staff Orientation hosted at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

Participants include representatives from seventeen institutions of higher education, including eight with established Bonner Scholar Programs, eight with established Bonner Leader Programs, and one school that is expecting to start a Bonner Program this fall.

This summer, three Bonner Scholars, Gabe Miller, class of 2025 at Washington & Lee University, Olivia Norten, class of 2025 at Davidson College, and Danielle Savellano, class of 2024 at Allegheny College, were recipients of the selective Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. The PPIA Junior Summer Institute is a national fellowship program that prepares students for an advanced degree and ultimately for careers and influential roles serving the public good. The PPIA-JSI is a rigorous seven-week training offered each summer for rising college seniors, with coursework focused on quantitative, analytical, and communication skills.

Over 320 students, staff, faculty, speakers, alumni, and partners from 91 different institutions and organizations came together for the 2024 Summer Leadership Institute, hosted at Oberlin College and Conservatory from June 7 to 10. With Oberlin’s rich history of civic engagement and student activism as the backdrop, student leadership took center stage at this year’s Summer Leadership Institute.

Cali VanCleve, a Rhodes College sophomore majoring in international studies and Russian, has been selected to receive the Boren Scholarship, which funds study abroad with the goal of immersing students in a language critical to U.S. national security interests. In the summer and fall of 2024, she will study Russian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as part of the School of Russian and Asian Studies’ Russian as a Second Language Program. VanCleve is from Nashville, TN, and her experience in civic engagement involves making positive changes for immigrant and refugee communities across Tennessee. Through the Bonner Scholars Program, she works as a community organizer serving on the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope’s (MICAH) Immigration and Inclusivity team.

Hailing from Red Hook, New York, Gifford’s wanted to continue her service journey into college. Leading her to choose Siena College, after being selected into their Bonner Leader Program. Gifford values authentically building relationships and making a difference, and felt the Bonner Program was a perfect place to do both.