Student Profile
Robert Hackett
Five Bonners Selected as 2025 National Bonner ...

Meet our 2025 National Bonner Summer Interns! Michael Deem Jr. from Rider University brings his expertise in film and storytelling, while Spelman College's Olivia Gray focuses on advancing educational equity. Oberlin's Joseph (JP) Liddy contributes his experience in event coordination and community building, and Centre College's Kayla Rogers brings her passion for policy advocacy and civic engagement. Together, these talented student leaders will support the Bonner Foundation's mission while gaining valuable professional experience in the nonprofit sector.

Five Bonners Selected as 2025 National Bonner Foundation Summer Interns
Alumni Profile
Robert Hackett
Spelman College Bonner Alum, Dr. Maranda C. ...

Maranda C. Ward, Ed.D., MPH, Spelman College Bonner Scholar ‘02 Alum has been awarded Campus Compact’s Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement. Dr. Ward is the assistant professor and director of the Equity Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Spelman College Bonner Alum, Dr. Maranda C. Ward, Awarded The Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement
Campus Profile
Robert Hackett
A Banner Year for Bonners: TCNJ Bonner Program ...

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.

A Banner Year for Bonners: TCNJ Bonner Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Staff Profile
Robert Hackett
From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine ...

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.

From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine Wheeler's Retirement Celebration
Robert Hackett
Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

With over three decades sharing campus examples, guides, and documents to download, the Bonner Foundation is excited to announce a recently updated Bonner Resources Wiki.

This summer, the five National Bonner Summer Interns at the Foundation — Anu Baskar (George Mason ‘24), Camila Guayasamin (The College of New Jersey ‘24), Dominique Dore (University of Houston ‘22), Mikaela Chin (High Point University ‘24) and Selah Ndouta (Capital University ‘22) — worked with the Foundation staff to refresh the look of the wiki’s homepage and, more importantly, update campus examples and other documents.

They devoted particularly attention to the Bonner Program Management and Community-Engaged Learning sections. In addition, Mikaela and Dominique also created a short video on how to navigate this wealth of knowledge.

Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

Third-Year Oberlin Bonner Receives Davis Projects for Peace Grant

Third-Year Oberlin Bonner Receives Davis Projects for Peace Grant

After winning the Davis Project for Peace prize of $10,000, rising junior Gideon Ampofo is gearing up to start the Springboard Scholars program in Accra, Ghana, this August.

In 2007, internationalist and philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis created Projects for Peacewhen she committed $1 million for one hundred Projects for Peace. Since then, the award has invited undergraduates at participating partner institutions to apply, and encourages student initiative, innovation, and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict prevention, resolution, or reconciliation.

Guilford Recognizes Three Graduating Bonner Scholars

Guilford Recognizes Three Graduating Bonner Scholars

Congratulations to the Guilford College’s graduating Bonners - Hsar “Ree Ree” Wei, Moe Reh, and Exel Valle-Estrada! Their time at Guilford has been marked with change and challenge, but their perseverance shines through in their success. Below, get to know the recent graduates and find out how they're planning to go out into the world.

Bonner Jasmine Rangel profiled by UVA Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Bonner Jasmine Rangel profiled by UVA Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Jasmine Rangel considers herself lucky; she’s never been without a place to live. But when she looks back on her childhood, she often feels amazed by the tenuousness of that good fortune.

“If any small thing had gone wrong, my life now would be completely different,” said Rangel, who on Friday will receive a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Rangel’s parents emigrated to the United States from Mexico before she was born. Given that her mother was undocumented, fear of deportation loomed. Money was also tight; her father worked in construction and her mother as a housekeeper.

But the neighborhood outside Atlanta where Rangel grew up wasn’t far from a public library. She remembers walking back from visits there with her mother, carefully carrying as many as 10 or 15 books at once as she made her way over the uneven sidewalk.

Since her mother couldn’t drive, if they had lived too far from the library to get there on foot, they might not have gotten there at all. And if that had been the case, she said, “I don’t think I would have had the curiosity that I do – the motivation to learn like I do now.”

Rangel has since become passionate about affordable housing. A first-generation college student, she completed her undergraduate degree with support from the Bonner Foundation, which awards scholarships to diverse, low-income students, and went on to work for the New Jersey-based organization through Americorps.

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Watson Fellowship to Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Watson Fellowship to Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil

Madi Goetzke ’21 will spend a year traveling the world as a Watson fellow to analyze the role of communally-based cultural heritage sites which double as UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites. Her project, Reimagining Access to Communal Cultural Heritage Sites, will take Goetzke through the Global South, including Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Brazil.

Student-Led Initiative Aims to Address Health Inequities in Chester

Student-Led Initiative Aims to Address Health Inequities in Chester

Ijjae Hill is driven to help others and inspire those around her to do the same.

Before the pandemic, the Widener sophomore had been researching health inequities and disparities in Chester. When COVID-19 hit, and those issues became even more pronounced, she was compelled to take action.

Hill reached out to the university’s Center for Civic and Global Engagement (CCGE) with ideas.

Fast forward a few months, and her drive has led to Widener securing a grant to fund COVID-19 tests for uninsured Chester residents; to support research to gain a clearer picture of health access, resources, and gaps in the city; and to host an educational panel to discuss the issues.

First-year UT Bonner Markets Glazer Children’s Museum

First-year UT Bonner Markets Glazer Children’s Museum

Every Tuesday and Thursday, after Brin Robinson’s morning class wraps up, she walks across the Cass Street bridge to the Glazer Children’s Museum.

With a cup of coffee in hand, Robinson ’24 starts working on her tasks for the day as a marketing intern at the museum: whether it’s inputting data to target future goals for the museum, working on marketing content to showcase exhibits or assisting fellow museum team members. Each day looks a little different, but Robinson always spends the final 20 minutes of her shift hanging out with kids who are visiting the museum or talking to parents about their experience.

While Robinson spends only a few hours of her time each week at her internship, the experience has been invaluable.

“I have gained an incredible amount of experience since I started working at Glazer,” said Robinson, of McHenry, IL. “Being in a professional environment surrounded by highly educated, passionate and helpful colleagues has helped me grow both personally and professionally.”

Robinson, an international business/marketing major, is part of the Bonner Leader Program, which provides University of Tampa students with an opportunity to serve the community while gaining valuable work experience. Students in the program are placed at local nonprofit organizations at the start of their first year at UT and work for the organization nine hours a week for the entirety of their college career. Students in the program earn paid wages from UT’s work-study funding, as well as an annual $2,000 scholarship.

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship to Study in Dublin

Oberlin Bonner Awarded Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship to Study in Dublin

Iesha-LaShay Phillips '22, a Bonner Scholar and an ambassador of the Muskogee Creek Nation from Oklahoma, has been selected as one of 14 students from across the country to be a 2021 Frederick Douglass Global Fellow. The fellowship includes a full scholarship to participate in a CIEE Study Abroad program focused on leadership, intercultural communication, and social justice.

Seven Bonners Selected As 2021 Bonner Foundation National Summer Interns

Seven Bonners Selected As 2021 Bonner Foundation National Summer Interns

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, these young leaders bring their Bonner Program experience and share it by developing new resources and strategies for the national network. This year, the Bonner Foundation offers distinct internship opportunities that focus on policy work (Know Your Issue), Bonner Alumni Network development, special projects and publishing on community-engaged learning and racial justice, Bonner Program impact research, and student impact survey research.

We are delighted to welcome these seven exceptional 2021 Bonner summer interns:

  • Christopher Battaglia '22, Waynesburg University (Waynesburg, PA) working as the Know Your Issue Intern

  • Emily Brookfield '23, Washington & Lee University (Lexington, VA), working as the Alumni Network Intern

  • Maria Guevara Carpio '21, Rutgers University - New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ), working as a Special Projects & Publishing: Community-Engaged Learning Intern

  • Emily Curran '22, Rollins College (Winter Park, FL), working as the Student Impact Intern

  • Jess Matilszki '21, Stetson University (DeLand, FL), working as the Program Impact Intern

  • Sierra Medina '22, Waynesburg University (Waynesburg, PA), working as a Special Projects & Publishing: Racial Justice Intern

  • Joshua Perez '23, Rollins College (Winter Park, FL), working as a Special Projects & Publishing: Racial Justice Intern

You can read each intern’s bio on our Bonner Foundation staff page.

Spelman Bonner Alum to Serve in U.S. Department of Education

Spelman Bonner Alum to Serve in U.S. Department of Education

Kabrillen Jones, Spelman College Class of 2015, is one of the latest Spelman alumnae to join the President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris administration.

In February, Jones was named special assistant in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.

Eh Nay Thaw, Centre Bonner Scholar '18, Leads Protests Against the Ongoing Crisis in Myanmar

Eh Nay Thaw, Centre Bonner Scholar '18, Leads Protests Against the Ongoing Crisis in Myanmar

Eh Nay Thaw ‘18 is originally from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and spent 10 years in a refuge camp in Thailand before coming to the U.S where he resettled in Louisville, KY. Eh Nay Thaw graduated as a Bonner Scholar alum '18 from Centre College in Danville, KY. Most recently, as a response to the ongoing crisis and military coup in his home country, Eh Nay Thaw has led protests across the country, including in Washington, D.C., Louisville and St. Paul, Minnesota, since February 6, 2021.

Morehouse Bonner Scholar Tackles Race Issues on News 6 Panel

Morehouse Bonner Scholar Tackles Race Issues on News 6 Panel

Morehouse Bonner Scholar, Julien Serrano-O’Neil ‘21, was selected to serve as a panelist on his hometown news station, News 6 WKMG. The graduating senior represented the United Foundation of Central Florida (UFCF) and the Bonner Office of Community Service at Morehouse College and was joined by other central Florida pioneers for the Black History Month Initiative - Real Talk Town Hall Series, an effort to tackle race issues.

Propel Center, a New Global HBCU Hub for Innovation, Learning & Social Impact

Propel Center, a New Global HBCU Hub for Innovation, Learning & Social Impact

Morehouse, Spelman, and other HBCUs partner with Propel Center to create a first-of-its-kind hub for all 100+ HBCUs to connect students and faculty from across the community. The goal is to provide HBCU students with the knowledge, skills, tools, and resources necessary to transform the nation’s talent pipeline and workforce. Curriculum options will include artificial intelligence and machine learning, agricultural technologies, social justice, entertainment arts, app development, augmented reality, design and creativity, career preparation and entrepreneurship tracks.

The announcement made by Apple highlighted their $25 million gift towards the initiative as part of their $100 Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI) to help dismantle systemic barriers to opportunity and combat injustices faced by communities of color.

Apple’s announcement featured Jared Bailey, Morehouse Bonner Scholar in the Class of 2021, noting that he “has integrated Apple’s coding and creativity curricula into his public health and community service work as part of the school’s partnership with Apple, a collaboration that is expanding further with the launch of the Propel Center.”

Wofford Bonners Remember Meeting Rep. John Lewis

Wofford Bonners Remember Meeting Rep. John Lewis

First year Bonner service trips have been postponed because of the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped some from remembering a meeting with Rep. John Lewis on their visit to the Nation’s Capitol.

A Giant Legacy

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The first time he saw U.S. Rep. John Lewis in person, James Stukes learned the truth about giants.

Giants come in all sizes.

“It was a surreal moment,” says Stukes, the coordinator for college access and student success who helped lead a group of first-year Bonner Scholars and other Wofford students on trips to Washington, D.C., during Interim in 2018 and 2019. “We were in his office, and it was my first time being in the Capitol. He walked in and the first thing that struck me was seeing in the flesh how small (5-foot-6) he was, but realizing what a huge legacy he had built.”

Rutgers Bonner Leaders highlight work of New Brunswick organizations they serve in Civic Voices audio project

Rutgers Bonner Leaders highlight work of New Brunswick organizations they serve in Civic Voices audio project

Rashel Bernal Reyes’ life straddles two New Brunswicks: The City of New Brunswick where she was raised and Rutgers-New Brunswick where she is a student.

“One of my friends dropped me off from class last year. The moment you turn from Rockoff Hall, past the cemetery, there are homeless people,” the sophomore said of an area near her Joyce Kilmer Avenue neighborhood that surprised her peer. “I told them, ‘You’ve finally entered our city. This is where we live. You don’t know because you stay in your area.’ ”

As a first-generation college student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Reyes said she never considered higher education until community groups and mentors opened her eyes to the possibility in middle school. So when she arrived at Rutgers, Reyes looked for a way to give back to her community and better connect it with her campus.

She found her opportunity at Rutgers’ Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service, which houses the Rutgers Bonner Leaders program. Part of the national Bonner Foundation, this network of college students at 70 colleges and universities is committed to community service and social justice. Through Bonner, Reyes discovered her niche in a familiar place, the New Brunswick Public Library, where until the pandemic hit, she taught conversational English to members of her community.

Bonner Professional Development 2020-21 Seminar Series

Bonner Professional Development 2020-21 Seminar Series

In the last few years, the Bonner Foundation created the Pipeline Project as a way to support the professional development and advancement of our network of talented civic engagement leaders and professionals. The project has aimed to create greater recognition and intentionality for the work of community engagement and community-engaged learning as a profession and field. We have developed competencies, educational opportunities, and networking based both on literature and practice. Innovative resources, including podcasts, have also been developed.

This year, we have pivoted our work to web-based meetings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, we have launched: A National Community of Practice: The Bonner Pipeline Project Professional Development Seminar Series. Through four cohorts (at different levels), national practitioners and leaders in the community engagement and higher education field are engaging in a national seminar series with peers at other institutions. Participants engage intentionally with literature, theory, and case studies on topics like student development, diversity and inclusion, and institutional change. They discuss its application and practice within their programs, centers, and colleges and universities around the country.

Read more about the Bonner Pipeline Project Professional Development Seminar Series here.

Read about the Emerging Leaders cohort here.

Read about the Young Professionals cohort here.

Read about the Mid-Career Professionals cohort here.

Read about the Senior Leaders cohort here.

New Partnership between the UVA School of Architecture and the Bonner Foundation

New Partnership between the UVA School of Architecture and the Bonner Foundation

Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and the UVA School of Architecture announce their new partnership that will provide a minimum annual scholarship of $5,000 to Bonner Program alumni admitted to the school’s graduate programs.

The UVA School of Architecture joins a diverse, multi-state consortium of participating colleges and universities who share a common commitment to the Bonner Foundation’s mission to “transform students, communities, and campuses through service.” The Bonner Program, which includes the Bonner Scholars Program and the Bonner Leader Program, provides scholarships to students in exchange for weekly commitment to intensive and meaningful service with local community organizations over their four years as undergraduate students. Bonner students engage in leadership development and social justice topics, leading to a greater awareness how issues that their communities face can be addressed through impactful service, policy, and design.

Bonners Research Community Issues During Summer of Service

Bonners Research Community Issues During Summer of Service

This summer, as part of the Centre College Bonner Program’s Summers of Service, Kat Duarte ’22 (Lexington, Kentucky) and Christina Smith ’21 (Rineyville, Kentucky) served as Know Your Issue researchers for the Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation.

The Bonner Foundation created a new Summer of Service virtual opportunity for students at any of the Bonner schools. The Know Your Issue project was led by Foundation President Bobby Hackett. This project was intended for students to research an issue in their community they are passionate about solving and create an issue brief to present on how to solve the problem with new policies.

Two Bonners Selected as 2020-2021 Imagining America/JGS Fellows

The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.

Imagining America annually selects a cohort of student artists from IA member institutions who receive a tuition scholarship, mentorship, and financial support for a community arts project, support to attend the IA National Gathering, and other professional development opportunities as part of joining a national working group of engaged photographers and digital media makers.

Ivy Miller, Senior Bonner, Oberlin College

Ivy Miller, Senior Bonner, Oberlin College

Mai Moua Thao, Junior Bonner, Macalester College

Mai Moua Thao, Junior Bonner, Macalester College

Eight undergraduate students from across IA’s national consortium were chosen as this year’s fellows, including two Bonners. Ivy Miller, a senior studying psychology and studio art at Oberlin College and Mai Moua Thao, a junior studying media and cultural studies at Macalester College.

The goals of the IA/JGS Fellows Program are to elevate photography and digital media as pathways for undergraduate students to pursue their careers and to make a difference in their communities. The program specifically aims to support students for whom economic and family circumstances render such career pathways particularly challenging. 

Over the course of the fellowship year, each JGS Fellow will:

• Receive a $2,000 tuition scholarship.
• Receive mentorship and financial support for a community project.
• Attend the Imagining America National Gathering in October. Complimentary registration and travel awards are included.
• Participate in regular, virtual learning exchanges.
• Be connected to the consortium’s national network of scholars, artists, and community organizers.

More information about Imagining America and the JGS Fellowship can be found here.

Bonner Foundation Announces New Capacity Building Step-by-Step Guides

Bonner Foundation Announces New Capacity Building Step-by-Step Guides

9/1/20 — The Bonner Foundation is excited to announce the release of new Capacity Building Step-by-Step Guides for students, staff, and faculty to work with communities across the Bonner Network.

Recognizing the unique and challenging circumstances institutions across the nation are facing regarding online and remote community engagement in the fall and beyond, these guides are designed to support Bonner Scholars and Leaders, working individually or in teams, to take on capacity-building projects with their community partners, but they can also be used by staff and faculty in the context of programs, center-led initiatives, and courses. All guides are written to allow both remote and in-person project work with schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and social action causes and projects. As Rachayita Shah, Bonner Foundation’s Community-Engaged Scholarship Director, says, "these guides offer great opportunities for students to leverage their leadership and organizational skills to collaborate with community partners for substantial and sustainable solutions. The process of working on capacity-building projects will also help strengthen campus-community partnerships, and support students’ developmental journey."

These guides are designed to work in concert with a process led by staff and students in which they consult with community partners to identify organizational and program needs, using Capacity-Building Opportunities Form, survey, and focus groups. Additionally, these guides support Bonners to take on capstone projects that they develop over multiple years. All guides are accessible in the Bonner Learning Community (https://bonner.mn.co/) as self-paced Webinars, where students, staff, and faculty can follow them and share their work and ideas using the activity feed. The topics for the guides include survey design, program evaluation, and the creation of an operations manual, among others. See the full list below.