Bonnie Keller Receives National Honor for Service
Bonnie Keller, a senior biology major from Sioux City, was selected by Campus Compact as one of seven Iowa college students to receive the national Newman Civic Fellows Award.
Bonnie Keller, a senior biology major from Sioux City, was selected by Campus Compact as one of seven Iowa college students to receive the national Newman Civic Fellows Award.
Keller is an active student leader, and her direct civic involvements include serving as co-vice president of AWOL (Alternative Week of Offsite Learning), BVU's alternative break program, and as vice president of SCATE (Students Concerned About Tomorrow's Environment), an organization focused on conservation and sustainability. She has spent three years as a direct mentor for a local high school student; serves as a committee member for the campus Buenafication Day, organizing a day of service for 750 BVU students; and has completed 900 hours of service since 2013 as an AmeriCorps member.
Along with being civically engaged, Keller also serves as a community coordinator for the BVU campus residence halls, providing feedback to promote leadership development in fellow staff members, and she serves on the Student Activities Board, as the vice president of homecoming and organizing daily activities for 750 students during homecoming week.
"Service has and always will be a priority in my life. While at BVU, I have taken on many leadership roles that have pushed me out of my comfort zone and played a vital part in my development as a leader," said Keller. "Service is a self-transformational experience that has allowed me to gain and strengthen hard and soft skills that I will use for the rest of my life."
"Bonnie has been instrumental to the AWOL program at BVU. She continually pushes her peers and herself to think about different ways that they can positively contribute to their community," said Dr. Ashley Farmer-Hanson, assistant dean for student life and director of civic engagement at BVU. "Bonnie is an agent of change, and it's an honor to have her represent BVU on this list of other college students who are changing the world."
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents, who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. The award is named in memory of Frank Newman, co-founder of the national Campus Compact organization, who dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform.
Keller was nominated for the honor by BVU President Fred Moore, a member of Iowa Campus Compact, a statewide association of Iowa college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education by educating students for active citizenship and building strong communities.