Embry Burton, a Bonner Leader at Rollins College, has effectively integrated science, service, and leadership through the Bonner Program, which emphasizes community engagement and social justice. As they pursue a Master of Public Health at Emory University, Embry exemplifies how Bonner's structured approach has shaped their academic and career aspirations in public health and global health.
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.
Davidson College, Bonner Scholar, Hannah Lieberman ’18 wrote, directed and performed Hysterical, a one-woman comedy musical exploring topics of relationships, identity and her family’s history of inherited ovarian cancer. Her hustling brought her to QED, a small arts venue in Astoria, Queens, New York, and, for at least the last decade, the only woman-owned and operated venue in the area.
TCNJ’s Bonner Community Scholars Program launched 20 years ago, it started with just 12 Bonner Scholars — students who commit to 300 hours of community service annually in exchange for needs-based scholarships. Now, with close to 100 participants each year, the TCNJ program is one of the largest and most successful in a nationwide network of Bonner college programs.
In celebration of Elaine Wheeler's retirement, we honor her invaluable contribution to the Bonner Foundation. Her commitment and mentorship have been instrumental in our growth as a Foundation and the Network we have today. As she embarks on her retirement, we celebrate her legacy of dedication and look forward to the path she has paved for us.
Never accuse Aaron Hannah of not being ambitious and failing to set high goals for himself.
Later this month, Hannah, a 19-year-old 2012 graduate of Raceland-Worthington High School, will launch what is essentially a one-man food drive. His goal: to collect at least 10,000 pounds of canned food for River Cities Harvest to distribute to local nonprofits and churches that help feed the hungry.
As a member of Centre College’s Bonner program, Megan Radenhausen ’14 is no stranger to community service; however, she took the College’s culture of service to a new level this past fall semester, logging 1,300 hours at Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center (BRCC), a feat which earned her BRCC’s volunteerism commitment award.
BRCC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide refuge for victims of sexual assault, to advocate for victims and to educate the community about sexual assault and human trafficking. BRCC provides crisis intervention, therapy, advocacy and education services to 17 counties in the Bluegrass Region. All services offered are free of charge, including a 24-hour hotline.
Cody Tracey ’15 of Baltimore received a 2013 Harward Summer Student Fellowship to work at the Boston-based Jane Doe Inc., a coalition of 60 local member programs working together with allies to find lasting solutions that promote the safety, liberty, and dignity for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
Maryville College juniors Jose Perez ‘15 and Owen Shelnutt ‘15 completed summer internships at the United Way of Blount County that provided valuable work for the non-profit while providing relevant, real-world experience for the students.
Both Perez and Shelnutt completed the internship as a part of their Bonner Scholarship summer service requirements.
Perez, a psychology major with minors in sociology and Spanish, was able to provide the United Way of Blount County with important information that will help with future outreach efforts for the local Latino community.
During his internship, Perez worked on translating the United Way's needs assessment survey into Spanish, delivering it to many local businesses. He also hosted several community conversations to get a deeper understanding of the aspirations and needs of the Latino population of Blount County.
It took exactly two weeks for Voice of America to hook Diane Gremillion. She interned for a short stint just before her first year at Richmond.
Her time at the country’s official external broadcast institution was typically hectic: She helped plan journalist training for coverage of an H1N1 outbreak in Hong Kong. There was famine in Somalia. And she was also asked to interview the second lady, Dr. Jill Biden.
"I immediately wanted to go back to that experience," Gremillion says. "International journalism and human rights fascinated me."
Every summer of her college career, Jocelyne Cardona ’14 (San Jose, Calif.) wondered if this would be the year she couldn’t afford to return to campus. “It was always a struggle to know if I could financially work it out,” she says. Melissa Larson ’14 (Round Lake, Ill.) spent her college summers not traveling in Europe or racking up impressive internships but working as many hours as she could get at the nearby Six Flags amusement park. Jinath Tasnim ’16 (Dallas) regularly declines invitations from classmates to visit their East or West Coast homes. “There’s no way I could justify that expense to my parents,” she says.
Stacey Padilla, a 2015 graduate of Maryville College, is among five college students in Tennessee to be named recipient of the 2015 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award sponsored by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).
Named for the late state representative from Nashville who was instrumental in passing legislation for community service recognition programs for higher education in 1991, the award recognizes outstanding community service at the campus level and carries a $1,000 cash prize.
Students listened to election returns and debated the pros and cons of Democratic and Republican candidates during the on-campus Super Tuesday viewing party on March 1, 2016. Sporting an “I voted” sticker, Brenden Carol, ’17, moved among them, pleased with the turnout for an event he organized in his role as a student coordinator of politics and elections for the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE).
“Trump dominated students’ discussion during the viewing party,” Carol said. “None of the students in either political party was happy about his front-runner status.”
Despite the prevailing angst, Carol delighted in seeing students take an interest in politics. He hopes to increase political activism on campus.
Macalester has long been known for its internationalism. One of the ways it recognizes that value is to annually bestow a Global Citizenship Student Award on the graduating senior who best demonstrates a commitment to the ideals and practice of high academic performance, internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement.
Maryville College senior José Perez has transformed from a terrified freshman unsure of his place at Maryville College into a social justice advocate who has made a lasting impact on the MC community.
Perez, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree on May 17, is a first-generation college student and a Mexican-American from an immigrant family.
Steven Hollingshead, a senior from Memphis, has been named “Student of the Block” for the eighth block at Tusculum College and is also the recipient of the inaugural “Mr. TC Award.”
Hollingshead, a double major in political science and business with concentrations in economics and international business, was presented both honors prior to the beginning of the May 2 Pioneer baseball game.
The “Student of the Block Award” is presented by the Tusculum Office of Student Affairs and was established to recognize individuals who excel in their academic endeavors, campus involvement and/or athletic performance. The award is selected from nominations made by faculty and staff members. Plaques telling about the honorees are displayed in the Niswonger Commons and other campus buildings. The new “Mr. TC Award” recognizes a student for overall contributions to the campus community and dedication to the betterment of the college as well as outstanding involvement, service and leadership inside and outside the classroom.
Krystal Goode, a sophomore at Lindsey Wilson College, spent the summer interning with Forward in the Fifth at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY.
An elementary education major with the goal of teaching in a kindergarten classroom, Goode spent nearly three months with the non-profit education organization working on several initiatives designed to improve teaching and learning.
Emily Horton plans to spend part of her summer working on research about human emotions thanks to a competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
Emily will spend about two months at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where scientists are studying emotion using data recorded about the facial expressions research subjects made while watching films.
Family.
It’s what DuChante Davis has found more than anything in his educational journey at High Point University. It’s what he hopes to offer inner city school children he’ll teach this fall.
He just returned from visiting San Jose, California, where he met some of his future students that already remind him of himself at that age – children who come from families in challenging situations. Kids who need more real-life heroes to look up to and keep them on track.
Taylor Duguay, a junior political science and communications studies double-major at Stetson University, is the recipient of the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award. As a Newman Civic Fellow, Duguay is one of 218 students recognized as the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. Through service, research, and advocacy, Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.
At its Undergraduate Awards and Recognition Ceremony, Stetson University announced the recipients of two of its most prestigious awards: the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, presented to two members of the graduating class; and the John Hague Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, given to a faculty member.
Student excellence in academics and service were recognized during Tusculum College’s annual Honors Convocation Thursday, April 28.
Megan Buczek of Chattanooga was presented with two awards. Ms. Buczek received a Senior Honor Key Award in special education modified and comprehensive. Senior Honor Key Awards are presented to students who have earned a 3.25 grade point average or higher in their major, shown achievement and aptitude in the major and possess strong character.
Stetson University will host the annual TEDx event, Friday, March 18, at 4 p.m. in Allen Hall, 508 N. Woodland Blvd., on the DeLand campus. TEDx is a subsidiary of the world-renowned TED organization which holds conferences relating to Technology, Entertainment and Design on a local scale...Probus is a religious studies major at Stetson. She is actively involved in campus life as a member of the Stetson Bonner Program, Stetson University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra and the Stetson Center for Community Engagement, to name just a few organizations. Probus’ talk will focus on leadership skills.
