Spelman College Bonner Scholars Program: A Legacy of Service and Leadership

Spelman College, a distinguished historically Black college for women, has a long-standing commitment to fostering civic responsibility and innovative problem-solving. A key component of this commitment is the Bonner Scholars Program, which empowers students to become change agents through service, leadership development, and academic engagement.

Overview of the Bonner Scholars Program

The Bonner Scholars Program at Spelman College is designed for students with a passion for service and social justice who also demonstrate financial need. Many Bonner Scholars are the first in their families to attend college and come from families with limited income. It is a four-year program that integrates academic learning with community engagement, providing students with the resources and support they need to make a meaningful impact on the world.

The Bonner Scholars Program helps students who want to volunteer but need financial help to pay for college.

Financial Support and Benefits

Bonner Scholars receive significant financial assistance to help them achieve their educational goals. The benefits include:

Financial aid: Students automatically get financial support for 2 summer internships.
Stipends: A stipend is provided, based on fulfilling the weekly service requirement.
Summer Stipends: $2,000 living stipend and $2,500 in earnings for two "Bonner Summers" as you participate in service projects.
Additional Funds: An additional $500 available to rising 4th-year Bonner Scholars for a project or preparation for your senior year.

Program Requirements and Expectations

Bonner Scholars commit to participating in the program for all four years of their college experience. This depth and duration of engagement create meaningful change in their lives. The program requirements include:

Read also: Explore the Bonner Program

Service Commitment: All Bonners are required to serve eight to 10 hours each week during the school year (112-140 hours per semester) and 280 hours during the summer.
Training and Workshops: Bonners participate in 250 hours of training before they graduate. These workshops bring together students who care about serving others and help them think deeply about their roles as citizens and leaders.
Active Participation: Fulfill weekly service and leadership activities each semester.
Academic Standing: Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average.
Event Attendance: Attend Bonner specific meetings, biannual, and annual events.
Orientation: Attend the Bonner New Student Orientation in August prior to the start of the fall semester.
Record Keeping: Keep record of service and development completed on the college’s Rhodes Engage platform.

The workshops cover practical skills such as communication, strategy, fundraising, program evaluation, public policy, and entrepreneurship. In the process students learn from each other and discover how communities work and how change happens.

Outcomes and Impact

By graduation, Bonners understand the social, economic, and environmental challenges in their communities. They have developed strong skills in problem-solving and working with diverse groups of people. They graduate into a nationwide network of former Bonners who can help with career advice and coaching. In sum the program helps students jumpstart careers where they can make a positive difference in the world, whether in business, government, or nonprofit organizations.

How to Apply

To apply to the Bonner Program, prospective students must first apply to Spelman College. We recommend reaching out to both the Admissions Office and the Bonner Program office at the schools you're interested in.

Notable Initiatives and Partnerships

Spelman College's commitment to community engagement extends beyond the Bonner Scholars Program. The college is actively striving to achieve recognition from the Carnegie Foundation for its community engagement initiatives, including programs like SpelREADS Literacy Program and the Refugee and Forced Migrations service-learning course.

SpelREADS Literacy Program

The SpelREADS Literacy Program is an initiative where Spelman students design an individualized reading program to target deficiencies of identified students who are reading below grade levels at the following schools: Hollis Innovation Academy, Brown Middle School, Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, and M. Agnes Jones Elementary. Weekly reports monitor students’ progress. Spelman students work closely with these students implementing the prescribed reading strategies to ensure success. During the 2018-2019 school year, SpelREADS recruited, trained, and provided in-service trainings for all SpelREADS Reading Guides. In addition, the Bonner Office of Civic Engagement hosted monthly reflection dinners and an end of semester wrap-up reception for all participants. Schools student participants also had an opportunity to visit Spelman campus to experience a day in the life on a college campus.

Read also: Learn About the Bonner Program

Propel Center Partnership

Spelman, along with Morehouse and other HBCUs, partners 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.

Recognition and Achievements

The dedication to community engagement at Spelman College has garnered significant recognition. Maranda C. Ward, Ed.D., MPH, a Spelman College Bonner Scholar alumna, was awarded Campus Compact’s Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement.

Other Scholarship Opportunities

In addition to the Bonner Scholars Program, Spelman College offers a variety of other scholarships to support its students, including:

The Academic Scholarship is awarded to students who embody a commitment to academic excellence.
Baldwin Richardson Foods Company Scholarship is awarded to students interested in Business and Entrepreneurship.
The Dean's Scholarship recognizes those who embody a commitment to service to humanity while maintaining academic distinction.
The Dovey Johnson Rountree, Class of 38, Presidential Scholarship is awarded to twenty scholars who exhibit intellectual bravery and embody Spelman's creed to change the world.
The Flanigan scholarship is a four-year scholarship for Georgia residents with preference given to graduates of Atlanta Public Schools.
The Gordon Zeto Scholarship is awarded to stellar international students who embody the Spelman mission.
Joan B. The Joan B. Johnson Scholarship is awarded to students demonstrating academic distinction and interest in the STEM discipline.
The Jonathan Smith Scholarship was established to fund students throughout the state of Georgia to encourage an intimate, supportive, and engaged intellectual environment for young women through African American tradition of liberation.
The Karsh KIPP Scholarship is a merit based scholarship that covers $20,000 toward the cost of attendance for the next four years.
The Morgan Stanley Scholarship was established to encourage an intimate, supportive, and engaged intellectual environment for young women through African American tradition of liberation. The scholarship includes the cost of tuition, fees, and the equivalent cost of room and board whether living on or off campus for the next four academic years.
The Presidential Scholarship is awarded to five scholars who embody a commitment to excellence and entrusts them with the responsibility of maintaining academic distinction.
Robert D. The Robert D. Flanigan Scholarship is awarded to stellar students who will graduate from the Atlanta Public School system.
The Student of Distinction Scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, community service, leadership, and academic excellence while recognizes those who embody a commitment to service to humanity.

Spelman College: A Hub for Innovation and Leadership

Spelman College's dedication to community engagement and student empowerment is evident through its various programs and initiatives. The Bonner Scholars Program, SpelREADS, and partnerships with organizations like Propel Center provide students with invaluable opportunities to develop their leadership skills, contribute to their communities, and become innovative change agents.

Other Programs

MASTERS Program

MASTERS is an after-school math enrichment program where Spelman College students work with 3rd-middle school-aged students in the Washington Cluster. In this program, participants complete engaging projects that incorporate basic math.

Read also: Internship Program at Wales Bonner

GRL-PWR

(GRL-PWR) is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to empowering young girls.

tags: #Bonner #Scholars #Program #Spelman #College