This was the main program I was involved in during my undergraduate education. This program was a four-year commitment (from Fall 2021 to Spring 2025). We were required to meet an hourly volunteer commitment each semester to stay in the program and receive a scholarship. Throughout my time in the program, I had over five hundred volunteer hours.

 

My responsibilities as a Bonner Scholar included:

• Attend monthly meetings with fellow Bonners and participate in each meeting.

• Volunteer at an approved site for six hours a week.

• Meet with program director as needed.

• Complete required trainings and assignments. 

• Complete Capstone.

• Create a volunteer event with other cohort members.

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While in this program, I had a primary volunteer site. This was the site I spent the majority of my time volunteering at. I was a Program Assistant at HANDS in Autism from September of 2022 to April of 2025 for around six hours a week. I filled a variety of roles at my time there, and learned a lot. Most notably, I played a key role in the 2025 HANDS in Autism Art Expo. I also was in charge of keeping inventory of the sensory kits and supplies they mailed out. In addition, during my first year there, I backlogged all their mail logs and was in charge of mailing kits. This involved packing orders, creating labels, logging data, contacting clients, and creating international shipping labels. In fact, I created the manual to make international shipping labels and the how-to document detailing how to make shipping labels. I also had my own group of interns (these were teenagers on the autism spectrum) that I lead through activities. 

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I was also a volunteer at the campus food pantry for this program. I was a volunteer at PAWS Pantry from September of 2022 to December of 2022 for two and a half hours a week. This was in addition to me volunteering at HANDS in Autism. I was mostly in charge of checking in and out patrons. I also stocked goods and kept the pantry clean. I really loved volunteering there, I only stopped because volunteering seven or more hours a week in addition to working and a full time class schedule became a lot quickly.

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In my fourth year of the program, I was the co-chair of the Leadership Education Committee with a member of my cohort. Our committee goals were routed in creating opportunities for Bonner Scholars and increasing campus awareness of our organization. We met with others on campus to flesh out ways to make our campus food pantry more inclusive as well as creating a resume workshop for second and third years in the program. This resume workshop was created, approved, and ran by myself and my co-chair to help Bonners maximize on their experiences and gain more by having an impressive resume. 

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In addition to this workshop, in my fourth year in the program myself and the other fourth years created a volunteer event. This was a Blanket Tying Event for all Bonners to create blankets to donate to Riley Hospital. 

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