Kieran Braun has a lifelong love of puppets and puppeteering. He chose to entertain children with his Puppet Project as part of his Senior Capstone Service Project related to being a Carson-Newman Bonner Scholar. He has made his puppet shows part of a larger message to help children to be kind to one another, and to care for the environment and the animals who inhabit that environment. The puppet characters are Kieran’s own creations, and the positive messages come from his heart.

Hello! My name is Jasmine Rangel and a month ago, my elevator speech would have started a bit like: “I am a current student and Bonner Scholar at Berry College in Rome Georgia, working towards my degree in Political Science.” Recently the term, “alumna” that was given to me at the beginning of May 2017, has come to launch me into an unknown world of new adjustments, adventures, learning and growing experiences. Aside from the professional aspect of my identity, I am originally from the Atlanta, Georgia area and have hobbies that vary from writing to record-store pursuing. I also consider myself a very amateur coffee connoisseur, a committed advocate to empowering causes, and a champion for the craft of formulating perfect playlists. 

ne of the things that I am looking forward to the most is completely immersing myself in the world of Bonner, learning the initiatives occurring at each and every campus all over the world, and providing the brain power to the foundation of initiatives necessary to mobilize everything that stands to be Bonner. Through the power of social media, I hope that we will be able to integrate the National Bonner Network in a way that makes even the furthest of campuses seem like the most familiar friends.

Hey y’all! My name is Hunter Malone. I am a Junior at Berea College, located in beautiful Berea, Kentucky.  I am studying Sociology and History, with hopes of later working in student leadership development and Non-profit management. I am originally from Bristol, Tennessee. I love the outdoors and am an avid hiker. I enjoy kayaking, hammocking, and going on spontaneous road-trip adventures! I have been in the Bonner Scholar program for 2 years now. Thanks to the Bonner program, I was introduced to social activism and have had the opportunity to learn and serve in ways I would have never imagined!

Through my time at the Bonner Foundation, I am hoping to learn best practices to better serve my community back home as well as help create and implement these best practices across the national network. I am looking forward to playing a small role in strengthening our network and, in the process, strengthening the impact the Bonner program can have in communities across America and throughout the world.

My name is Baneen Al-Akashi and I was born and raised in Erie, PA. I am the oldest of four children and the only daughter. Erie is a wonderful city that is very diverse and is well known for its connection to the lake. My college path was decided based on the Bonner program that is at Allegheny College. There I have been serving as a Bonner since I started at Allegheny and continue to grow because of the experiences that are presented to me.

This summer working at the foundation I am hoping to gain the skills and experiences that I am able to take back to our campus and apply that knowledge at our Bonner program. I am also hoping to build relationships with my fellow interns as well as the staff here at the foundation that is both memorable and lasting.

My name is Asia Robinson and I am a rising Junior at Allegheny College located in Meadville, Pennsylvania. I’m currently studying Community and Justice with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture. I have a passion for traveling, concerts and animals outside of my daily life of school and studying.

During this summer internship, I want to gain stronger planning and communication skills back to my campus and a greater sense of professionalism. I hope to use the resources I learn from this summer to bring together the campus community with the civic engagement office, so we can build a campus dedicated to giving and learning from the community around us.

The Journey program, a life skills class for students and parents referred by Jefferson County Juvenile Court, is a proven confidence builder for at-risk teens. The program, designed by Youth Services Officer Michelle Nix, graduated 37 teens this school year, most of them referred for truancy — and boasts an 85 percent recidivism record.

This year, four graduates voluntarily returned to complete the program again. There were three sessions (fall, winter, and spring), and each included an excursion trip lead by Tommy Clapp of B.O.L.D. Counseling in Jefferson City. Four Bonner Scholar mentors from Carson Newman University assisted: senior Hannah Pierce, junior Nick Cockrell, and new mentors Tanner Shivley and Diana Garber.

As a Bonner leader, Sara Balte (C’17) implemented a program called “New Life,” that continues to enhance the lives of people in and around Sewanee. Through the Bonner Leader program, prospective apply for a four-year service internship and leadership program to forge connections with community partners and engage with the greater Sewanee community once on campus as freshman.

New Life is a non-profit agency that serves as a day home for people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities in Winchester, Tennessee. Balte’s involvement in the program began when she was asked to make a business plan for their art therapy program at the day center. Although this business was outside of her realm of expertise, she began attending New Life in Winchester when the idea came to her: “What if we start a group that comes to Sewanee?”

Arielle Pollock ’20 spends two days a week tutoring children, helping them with their homework, reports or just sitting and reading together. 

As a Bonner Leader, she has been working with the R.I.C.H. House, a safe haven for at-risk children, since day one as a first-year student, an opportunity she said has given her a quick connection to her new home.

Empty Bowls of Greene County recently raised more than $3,000 for the Weekend Food Program Fund at the Community Foundation of Greene County.

The Empty Bowls project, which was held April 2 at the National Guard Readiness Center in Waynesburg, was organized and conducted by a group of Waynesburg University Bonner Scholar students led by Kenny Knouse, a junior from Catawissa. This was the fourth year Bonner Scholars were able to lead and coordinate the Empty Bowls event.

Working with the city’s sustainability office isn’t Foo’s first exposure to sustainability. The summer after her first year at Richmond, she worked as a nutrition education intern for a food bank in Rochester. Not only did she educate citizens in the low-income areas on how to eat healthfully and affordably, but she also sold local fruits and vegetables at to those who typically don’t have access to fresh produce. The internship was also part of the Bonner Scholars Program, and Foo says there are natural links between her work at the food bank and her climate change research for the city.