Student Profile
Robert Hackett
Five Bonners Selected as the 2024 National ...

The Bonner Foundation has selected five exceptional interns for the 2024 National Bonner Summer Internship program. These interns, from various universities and diverse academic backgrounds, will contribute to the Bonner network by developing resources, assisting in event planning, and working on strategic initiatives. The Bonner Foundation looks forward to the unique contributions these young leaders will make to the network.

Five Bonners Selected as the 2024 National Bonner Summer Interns
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

Centre College hosted state-wide Bonner Sophomore Exchange, focused on local African American History

Centre College hosted state-wide Bonner Sophomore Exchange, focused on local African American History

Centre College’s Bonner Program wanted to focus its yearly service exchange project on something that visiting Bonner students from other schools could take back to their communities. Centre Bonner students worked with community partners to meet that goal — and participating students said it made for an impactful weekend. Bonner students from Lindsey Wilson College, Kentucky Wesleyan College and Berea College were all in attendance.

The exchange weekend provided Bonner students from across the state a chance to learn from the work and experiences of their peers, as well as instructors at their home institutions.

Bonner students first toured the award-winning “We Were Here” exhibit, which details the devastating effects urban renewal had on Danville’s African American community, and then heard from local leaders Cindy Peck, Michael Hughes and Danville Mayor J.H. Atkins.

Earlham Bonner Scholar Marisol Cora Cruz Awarded Watson Fellowship

Earlham Bonner Scholar Marisol Cora Cruz Awarded Watson Fellowship

Bonner Scholar, Marisol Cora-Cruz, 2023 Neuroscience major at Earlham College, has been awarded the prestigious Watson Fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year. Her project, "Understanding Maternal Healthcare Around the World," will take her to Bolivia, England, and Germany to explore access to and quality of maternal healthcare in countries with different healthcare models. This is Cora-Cruz's second major award in the last year, having previously earned the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

DePauw Bonners Attend IMPACT ‘23 Conference on Civic Engagement

DePauw Bonners Attend IMPACT ‘23 Conference on Civic Engagement

Several DePauw students, along with Anna Sherrill, the coordinator of community-based learning at DePauw, attended the 2023 IMPACT Conference at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to learn about civic engagement and community service. The Bonner Foundation facilitated the students' connection to the conference, and since then, several students have had the opportunity to attend. See full story.

Davidson College Bonner Alums Are Helping Preserve the Traditions of a Remote Georgia Island

Davidson College Bonner Alums Are Helping Preserve the Traditions of a Remote Georgia Island

Victor-Alan Weeks, an Atlanta native, visited Sapelo Island for the first time as a student just a few months before Tropical Storm Irma. As part of an Africana Studies course at Davidson College in North Carolina, Weeks had taken a tour of Hog Hammock, learning more about the history of the Gullah Geechee people. “I never heard about Sapelo Island before,” Weeks said, who was majoring in both digital media and ethnography. “My first impression was: This is a place of serenity, restoration, and with its past, there are a lot of stories to be revealed from the land and the people.”

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Sewanee's Jim Peterman's Vision for a Better World

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Sewanee's Jim Peterman's Vision for a Better World

For over two decades, the philosophy professor and (now former) director of the Univeristy of the. South’s Office of Civic Engagement has been at the center of efforts to push Sewanee’s academic and co-curricular offerings out of the ivory tower and into the community, where they can make a real difference. Read full profile here.

Berry College's Bertha Nibirgira '18 Embraces Peacebuilding and Empowering International Youth

Berry College's Bertha Nibirgira '18 Embraces Peacebuilding and Empowering International Youth

Bertha Nibigira ’18, who majored in sociology and anthropology, graduated with a Master of Arts from American University’s School of International Service, with an emphasis on international development,  peacebuilding and youth empowerment. Her perspective on international issues began early in life, as her family fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Tanzania and eventually resettled in the United States.   

Maryville Professors Team Up to Empower Budding Activists

Maryville Professors Team Up to Empower Budding Activists

One year ago, Professor Adrienne Schwarte and Mark O’Gorman learned about a Bonner Foundation grant that would allow them to start a class focused on social action, and they knew they wanted to get involved. Their passions in design and political science, as well as their involvement with the Center for Community Engagement at Maryville College, came together to create the new “Art, Design, and American Politics” course.

To sum up the mission of the class, Schwarte said, “It’s important to make sure people realize that individuals can make a difference; they do make a difference, and it happens every day.”

New Graduate School Partnership with Nonprofit Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania

New Graduate School Partnership with Nonprofit Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania

The Bonner Foundation is excited to announce a new graduate school partnership with the Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership Program at the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

The new Bonner-MSNPL partnership provides an application fee waiver to Bonner Scholars/Leaders, alumni, or staff. Additionally, Bonner applicants to the MSNPL who are successfully admitted into the program will receive a guaranteed $10,000 one-time scholarship.

Lotus Lloyd, Oberlin ‘26, Named a GLAAD’s “20 Under 20” Changemaker

Lotus Lloyd, Oberlin ‘26, Named a GLAAD’s “20 Under 20” Changemaker

Lloyd was recently named to GLAAD’s prestigious “20 Under 20” list of changemakers: a group of outstanding young people who are accelerating acceptance through their work in entertainment and media.

Bonner Foundation Partner Scott Myers-Lipton to Lead Teaching Social Action Initiative

Bonner Foundation Partner Scott Myers-Lipton to Lead Teaching Social Action Initiative

Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton is moving on to become the director of the Teaching Social Action Initiative in collaboration with the Bonner Foundation to encourage students “to apply what they learn about policy to their own organizing. The incorporation of applied activism has been part of his work at SJSU since he started in 1999. The only difference now is he will teach social action to educators, he said.”

Read full profile on San Jose Spotlight here.

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Two Bonners Receive Community Impact Student Awards at 2022 “Engagement Matters” NCCE Ceremony

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Two Bonners Receive Community Impact Student Awards at 2022 “Engagement Matters” NCCE Ceremony

On November 18 North Carolina Campus Engagement hosted the 2022 “Engagement Matters” Student Awards Ceremony. Nineteen outstanding students, from within the NCCE member network of colleges and universities, were recognized for their civic and community engagement leadership. The award recipients shared powerful insights about what they have gained or learned by being civically engaged. Friends, loved ones, and campus constituents participated in the Ceremony from throughout the country to celebrate these inspiring students.

Since 2006, the Community Impact Student Awards recognize an outstanding, full-time undergraduate or graduate student service leader from each member campus.

All award winners should clearly demonstrate:

  • Deep commitment to partnering with others to address community issues

  • Outstanding ability to lead and inspire fellow students to engage

  • Evidence of sustainable impact of their work

Two Bonner students were selected by their institution to receive at 2022 Community Impact Student Award (CISA).

New Graduate School Partnership with Perelman School of Medicine

New Graduate School Partnership with Perelman School of Medicine

In the summer of 2022, National Bonner Summer Interns, Selah Ndouta, Capital University ‘22, Anu Baskar, George Mason University ‘24, and Camila Guayasamin, The College of New Jersey ‘24, led by Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director, at the Bonner Foundation, worked on a strategic outreach project to increase Bonner’s currently underrepresented graduate school partnerships. This included with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions, and in the STEM fields. The latest graduate school to partner with The Bonner Foundation to provide special benefits to Bonner students and alumni – the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine – was part of that effort.

Humanity in Action and Bonner Foundation Agree to Partnership

Humanity in Action and Bonner Foundation Agree to Partnership

Earlier this month, Humanity in Action and The Corella & Bertram Bonner Foundation formalized a new partnership. This new three-year partnership commits Humanity in Action to hold at least one Fellowship spot per year for a Bonner Student, while the Bonner Foundation will promote Humanity in Action programs amongst its network and encourage Bonner Scholars and Leaders to apply. The agreement also carries an option to extend the partnership should both organizations wish to do so.

The Bonner Program is a four-year commitment in which Bonner Students commit to a weekly commitment to intensive and meaningful service with a local community organization over the four years as an undergraduate student at one of the Foundation’s campus partners. Bonner Scholars and Leaders also commit to continuing this service over the summer, and the Humanity in Action Fellowship will count towards fulfilling this obligation.

W&L’s Bonner Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary

W&L’s Bonner Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Bonner Scholars past and present will come together next weekend to celebrate two decades of the program at Washington and Lee.

On Oct. 28, a reception will be held in Mattingly House from 4-5:30 p.m. to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of W&L’s Bonner Program. Robert Hackett, president of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, and Howard Pickett, director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, will give remarks after an introduction from Bonner Program director Marisa Charley.

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Centre College Bonner, Gloria Lwin ’24, named to inaugural group of Obama-Chesky Scholars

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Centre College Bonner, Gloria Lwin ’24, named to inaugural group of Obama-Chesky Scholars

Gloria Lwin ’24 has been named to the inaugural cohort of Voyager Scholarship recipients, a prestigious class of 100 college juniors nationwide who plan to pursue a career in public service.

The Voyager Scholarship is funded by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama through the Obama Foundation and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. The scholarship aims to provide college students with financial support for college costs and exposure to new places and experiences, along with a network of mentors and leaders to support them.

Lwin, a Centre College Bonner Leader and native of Owensboro, Kentucky, said her experience with the Bonner Program aided her greatly in the application process.

“The Bonner Program played a huge role in my interest in social justice issues and community service, and because of that experience, I have become more passionate about healthcare disparities,” she said. “My classes at Centre have pushed me, and I’ll be able to use the skills I’ve learned here in this opportunity.”

Partnership Expansion with University of Houston Provides Graduate School Benefits to Bonner Students and Alumni

Partnership Expansion with University of Houston Provides Graduate School Benefits to Bonner Students and Alumni

The Bonner Foundation continues to expand its partnerships with over 20 graduate schools that provide benefits for alumni of national Bonner Programs who want to pursue graduate education.

The latest partnership builds upon an existing relationship with the University of Houston, as one of the 70+ schools that host an undergraduate Bonner Program. Established in 2014, the University of Houston Bonner Leader Program aims to create high-quality educational experiences for students, while simultaneously working to build a better Houston community. As one of the largest programs in the Bonner Network, the University of Houston Bonner Leader Program supports over 100 undergraduate students in its four year program tied to honors. These students engage in sustained, project-based community engagement by focusing on the factors that perpetuate the cycle of poverty including food insecurity, educational achievement, and community health and nutrition.

The expanded relationship with the University of Houston now includes a partnership with the UH’s graduate schools Graduate School. This partnership provides application fee waivers to Bonner alumni or current students applying to any of the University of Houston Masters/PhD programs.