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
You can read more about each intern’s bio on our Bonner Foundation staff page.
Though their responsibilities slightly shift in focus from year to year, each cohort of interns is immersed in learning to plan and implement national conferences, and engaged in resource design and development for the national network. This summer, Bonner Summer Interns are focused on two strategic initiatives: launching the Bonner Alumni Network and creating new resources for students to pursue capacity-building and Community-Engaged Signature Work.
The Bonner Alumni initiative provides our interns with a chance to connect with incredible alumni from our network of over 15,000 graduates. Through formal interviews, the Bonner summer interns will synthesize each alumni’s testimony and insight into alumni profiles, which we hope will showcase their incredible work and Bonner legacy. Additionally, the interns will supplement knowledge gained from their alumni interviews with research to create “job sector” guides, which will serve as a resource for current Bonners and young professionals looking for resources in discerning their career and vocation.
Resource development for Community Engaged Signature work is the other primary project focus of the summer. Interns have each already completed a culminating capstone project, or they are in the midst of preparing for one when they return on campus. Drawing on their personal capstone experience and expertise, as well as research and years of capstone examples in the network, our interns will work on developing guides to support the integration of Community Engaged Signature Work into all Bonner programs across the network. The goal is that they will develop advising forms, trainings, and processes that target different audience levels, including students, community partners, and faculty.
We are delighted to work alongside such talented young professionals this summer, and we know that their work will have long-lasting impact on the Bonner network.