If you have a passion for public service and a desire to be a positive force in your
community, Wilkes University’s Bonner Leader Program can help you build the skills
you need to lead the charge for change.
Take a few minutes to learn how you can get to know the Wilkes-Barre community by
serving those around you. Join Catie, the Bonner Leader Program Coordinator, to see
how you can join in your first-year as a Colonel!
Please note: the event is broken up into 30 minute sessions.
During your time at Wilkes, you’ll commit to participate in this unique work-study
experience that blends community service with enrichment and training activities.
The program provides financial support for your education and promotes:
Leadership
Self-awareness
Professional skills
You’ll join a nationally acclaimed, service-based initiative. From its introduction
by the Bonner Foundation in 1990, the Bonner Leader Program has grown to a multi-faceted
civic engagement and leadership program hosted by a network of more than 70 colleges
and universities.
Inspired by the motto “Access to Education, Opportunity to Serve,” Bonner alumni share
their talents on a local, national and global level.
How to Apply
If you are ready to grow through access to education and opportunity to serve, apply
to be a Bonner Leader at Wilkes.
Each year, the University will select only eight to 10 incoming first-year students
via a competitive application process. You must be admitted to Wilkes University to apply.
Deadline to apply is the spring prior to your first semester at Wilkes.
Finalists will be invited for an interview with the selection committee that will
take place on campus or via Zoom. Students selected into the program will be notified
shortly thereafter.
Wilkes University seeks diverse applicants who want to make their corner of the world
a better place.
You may be eligible for the Wilkes Bonner Leader program if you...
Possess a fierce desire to change the world.
Demonstrate active service involvement in your high school or community.
Will be an incoming first-year student in the fall semester.
Have submitted a FAFSA to Wilkes University.
Are eligible for a federal work-study award and demonstrate financial need.
Preference will be given to...
Those with high school grade-point average of 2.75 and above.
Individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Recipients of Wilkes University Colonel Emerging Leader Award.
The Bonner Leader program offers transformative advantages to you, the Wilkes campus
and the surrounding area.
Earn work-study pay for eight to 10 hours of program service, training and reflection
each week.
Gain valuable work experience, leadership skills and career insight by engaging in
progressively more challenging and meaningful training and community service activities.
Develop an appreciation for experiences of those different from you.
Become an essential part of peer and staff support that cultivates a stronger sense
of belonging on campus.
Have the opportunity to participate in regional and national conferences.
Network with other members of this nationally recognized program.
Become an active leader on campus and in the community.
Participation in the Bonner Leader Program is a four-year commitment to yourself,
your campus and your community.
Commit to six to eight hours per week — about 270 hours per academic year — of direct
service in the community.
Participate in regular training and enrichment activities.
Assume leadership roles in various on-campus civic engagement initiatives.
Participate in cornerstone activities, including the first-year alternative break
trip and second-year exchange with Bonner Leaders from other schools.
Present a senior capstone project.
Five "E"s of Bonner
Expectation
If you’re chosen for the program, Wilkes has recognized your passion for service and
your commitment to use your talents to make a positive impact on the community.
Explore
From the start of the program, we’ll encourage you to explore the Wilkes-Barre community
by way of service and to refine your sense of self-awareness and civic identity through
weekly trainings and reflections.
Experience
While performing direct service at a local agency, you will receive in-depth training
and work closely with staff to further understand their mission and analyze community
issues. You will also gain valuable experience coordinating major service initiatives
on campus.
Example
As you advance into their third and fourth years in the program, you will assume advanced
responsibilities within selected community agencies and take on more significant capacity
building projects.
Expertise
At the conclusion of the Bonner experience, you will be able to better recognize,
discuss and analyze complex social issues affecting both Wilkes-Barre and our broader
society.
Year-by-Year Overview
Spend six to eight hours a week serving at a community agency and one to two hours
in formal education, training and reflection sessions. Leaders are afforded the opportunity
to participate in an alternative break service trip with their cohort in the spring
and may also pursue summer internships throughout their first three years in the program.
In addition to direct service and trainings, begin to assume more expanded leadership
roles on campus. Present educational sessions to the first-year cohort and take on
significant roles in ongoing campus initiatives sponsored by the Civic Engagement
Office such as blood drives, Special Olympics, Into the Streets Clean-up and Alternative
Break. Participate in the “second-year exchange,” providing service outside your region.
While continuing participation in the periodic cohort educational sessions and trainings,
take on more significant capacity-building projects within direct-service agencies.
As a fourth-year student, complete and present a senior capstone project connecting
knowledge from academic studies and Bonner sessions to direct service experiences.
Meet the Fall 2022 Bonner Leaders
Aleczia Britt
I want to be able to stand up for more issues via my involvement in this program and
try to help others while doing so.Aleczia Britt
First-Year
Hometown: Pottsville, PA
Major: Computer Science
Dhruvi Shah
Being able to be part of this program, I will try to solve and analyze social issues.
I will also discuss and analyze the issues that are affecting our community.Dhruvi Shah
First-Year
Hometown: Scranton, PA
Major: Pre-Pharmacy
Edweana (E) Alexis
I would like to meet my community and be a part of it and be a connection between
someone in need and someone who will be able to help them.Edweana (E) Alexis
Sophomore
Hometown: Saylorsburg, PA
Major: Political Science
Gabrielle (Gabbie) Moore
I believe that when students that have a similar mindset and similar goals are placed
in a room together, they will encourage everyone to thrive and grow.Gabrielle (Gabbie) Moore
First-Year
Hometown: Erie, PA
Major: Political Science
Julia Bouder
I am excited for a new social environment that will allow myself and others to impact
the other students on campus, along with the community.Julia Bouder
First-Year
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Major: English
Maria Medina-Martinez
For me, it is important to have a circle of people who have similar goals. I hope
that the program helps me to have the courage to serve as an example for other people.Maria Medina-Martinez
First-Year
Hometown: Hazleton, PA
Major: Financial Investments
Megan Rozanski
I want to inspire others but I also want to be inspired. Being a part of this program
will enable me to do both while helping me to develop into a true servant leader.Megan Rozanski
First-Year
Hometown: Clairton, PA
Major: Neuroscience
Sarah McAndrew
What excites me about this program is the possibility of being put in front of the
student body and showing them what I am capable of doing on their behalf.Sarah McAndrew
First-Year
Hometown: Lake Ariel, PA
Major: Nursing
Stef Rosas
I feel as though it is an urgent time for me to start stepping into the world and
get in contact with the community that I have access to as a college student.Stef Rosas
Sophomore
Hometown: Reading, PA
Major: Neuroscience
Abigayle Smith
Sophomore
Hometown: Plymouth, PA
Major: Digital Design and Media Art
Brenda Arias
Sophomore
Hometown: Hanover Township, PA
Major: Hospitality Leadership
Emily Blaine
Sophomore
Hometown: Shavertown, PA
Major: Pre-Pharmacy
Bhavika "Nikki" Dawar
Sophomore
Hometown: Sparta, NJ
Major: Biology/Pre-Medicine
Alexis Nardone
Sophomore
Hometown: Rockaway, NJ
Major: Early Childhood Education
Amelia "Mia" O'Connor
Sophomore
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Nursing
Marytere Quintana-Avila
Sophomore
Hometown: Scranton, PA
Major: Political Science
Ada Soriano
Sophomore
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Major: Pre-Pharmacy
1 of 8
Universities in PA, and the only university in Northeast PA, to offer Bonner Leader
8-10
Paid workstudy hours each week for program service, training, and reflection
4
Years gaining valuable work experience, leadership skills and career insight within
the program