Bonner Community Leaders Program

Bonner Community Leaders Program

The Bonner Program is a four-year, nationally acclaimed service-based experiential learning and leadership program where students partner with community-based organizations and simultaneously engage in leadership development and growth opportunities provided by their college or university.

The Benefits of Becoming a Bonner Leader

In addition to receiving the opportunity to participate in an intensive, developmental community engagement experience, Bonner Leaders receive four years of financial aid support, allowing low-income students and diverse, and often historically underrepresented students, including students of color and first generation students, the opportunity to receive financial support for their work in community engagement.

*The Bonner Program will only accept applications from incoming freshman the spring before their first year*

Simmons Named as the First Institution in MA to be Accepted

Simmons University is the first institution in Massachusetts to be accepted into the Bonner network and only the third in New England.

7 Community Partners

Bonner Leaders worked with Fenway Health, Dana Farber, Massachusetts National Organization for Women, Girls LEAP, Massachusetts Peace Action, the Boston House, and Orchard Gardens K-8 school.

1,412 Hours Served

During the first year implementation (2022-2023), Bonner leaders served a total of 1,412 hours in the Greater Boston area.

Simmons' First-Year Implementation

During the 2022-2023 academic year, the London Center launched our Bonner Program with 9 first-year students as Bonner Leaders.

Bonner Leaders not only engaged with 7 community partners during their first year, but also partook in their first-year trip to Washington D.C. centered around housing and homelessness.

First-Year Trip Focused on Housing and Homelessness

Engagement in Washington D.C.

  • Students visited The Outrage, an activist hub that offers a community space as well as social justice merchandise in which the proceeds benefit local groups.
  • Bonner Leaders volunteered with Thrive D.C., a service center for those experiencing houselessness and food insecurity.
  • The group attended the National Museum of the American Indian to learn further about the history and legacy of Indigenous peoples
  • Students volunteered at Bread for the City, an organization that works to provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty
  • Travelled to the DC Department of Housing and Community Development to immerse themselves further in the areas current housing conditions
  • Members conversed with author Shilipi Malinowski about D.C.'s history of gentrification
  • Bonner Leaders participated in a virtual discussion with Washington Legal Clinic for the homeless

The Trip's Mission

The trip's purpose was to develop a deeper understanding of the intersectionality between homelessness and gentrification in Washington, DC by leveraging its historical background and the current conditions of the neighborhoods that shape this city. Through empathy, communication, and team-building skills, Bonner Leaders will collaborate to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of gentrification and its impact on unhoused community members. The insights and experiences garnered from this trip will inform the identification of possible solutions to address this critical issue, how it connects to other careers, and will also serve as a way to compare and contrast Washington, DC and Boston in the lens of gentrification and homelessness.

"The close-knit community that the program cultivates through our cohort of nine students is so valuable to me because I can develop genuine connections with people who have the same drive and passion to make a difference in our Boston community."

Justine Paragas

Class of 2026

“From my first year as a Bonner Leader I think I will most remember the way that the Bonner group helped me transition into being a college student. Being a Bonner allowed me a safe group of people I could rely on as I was navigating being a college student. It supplied me with peers I felt comfortable with, staff members I felt safe asking for help, and a connection to the Boston community. It also provided me with the leadership skills and confidence to do better in my classes and make more of an effort as a student and member of the community.”

Aislinn Doherty

Class of 2026