'25 BC Powering Pathways– Career Connections and National Bonner Alumni Advisors.pdf

In this lively session, student leaders will have opportunities to meet with Bonner Alumni Advisors, gaining insights for their own post-graduate employment, graduate school, and other activities. We'll model an informational interview, as well as share tools for strengthening resumes (including all of your experiential and professional work), job and internship applications, and more.

1. Powering Pathways: Career
Connections and National
Bonner Alumni Advisors
A Breakout Session
For Student Leaders
Saturday, Oct 10th 1:45–3:00 PM

2. All-group introduction and context
setting (20 minutes)
Transition to breakout rooms by career
sector (10 minutes)
Sector-specific breakouts with National
Bonner Alumni Advisors (45 minutes)
Agenda

3. •Understand Bonner’s Career Connections initiative and
deepen own career preparation and readiness
•Leverage new resources and tools, such as the new
National Bonner Alumni Advisors
•Take back the new National Bonner Alumni Advisors
program to campus and develop infrastructure necessary
for your Bonner Program to utilize these resources
(incorporate into Bonner meetings, communications, etc.)

4. Intro Activity

5. Stand or raise hand if…
You’ve conducted at
least one
informational
interview

6. Stand or raise hand if…
Your campus offers
career coaching by
major or industry

7. Stand or raise hand if…
You’ve attended a
career or opportunities
fair (campus, online,
Bonner meeting, etc.)

8. Stand or raise hand if…
You have a portfolio,
project page, or
sample that
showcases your work

9. Stand or raise hand if…
You’ve used
Handshake or
LinkedIn to find an
opportunity

10. Stand or raise hand if…
Your campus offers
a “Career Closet” or
program for free
professional attire

11. Stand or raise hand if…
You’ve asked for
feedback on your
writing from someone
outside your major

12. Stand or raise hand if…
If you can articulate
how you practice
cultural humility in
your community work

13. Stand or raise hand if…
You can use AI or
tools responsibly to
draft, then revise in
your own voice

14. Stand or raise hand if…
You’ve explored
Bonner’s graduate
school partnerships

15. Stand or raise hand if…
You can describe
your work style and
the conditions you
need to thrive

16. Career
Connections

17. Eight Career Sectors
The eight career
sectors aim to help
students
strengthen their
career readiness,
find pathways and
opportunities, and
network with field
professionals.

18. National Bonner
Alumni Advisors

19. National Bonner Alumni Advisors
The NBAA program aims to
help students understand
career pathways, find
resources and
opportunities,
and build connections that
will support their post-
graduation success by
connecting with alumni across
eight career sectors.
•Launched Summer 2025
•41 alumni advisors

20. Student Toolkit: Career Connections

21. Template Emails

22. Breakout
Sessions

23. Arts, Entertainment, & Creative
Chloe Rodriguez '25, Berry Bonner
Alum, Johns Hopkins Political
Communication Graduate Student &
Monument Advocacy Fellow
Facilitator
Michael Deem Jr. ’26
Rider Bonner Leader,
2025 National Bonner Intern,
Film and Television Major
Location:
Room 354
*Alum on Zoom

24. Business, Finance, & Economics
Aranxa Parra '22, Centre Bonner Alum,
HR Generalist, candidate in Masters of Law
in Human Rights Advocacy
Facilitator
Liz Brandt ’15, Centre Bonner Alum,
Director of Community Engagement
at Bonner Foundation
Location:
Room 151

25. Environment & Sustainability
Jefferson Crawford ’10, Emory & Henry
Bonner Alum, Pricing Specialist within
Business Operations at
Tennessee Valley Authority
Facilitator
Jen Gonzalez Reyes ’19,
Guilford Bonner Alum,
Director of Communication & Campus
Engagement at Bonner Foundation
Location:
Room 350
*Alum on Zoom

26. Healthcare
Marisa Barrera ’22, Wofford
Bonner Alum, Community
Engagement Specialist at SC
Department of Public Health
Facilitator & National
Bonner Alumni Advisor
Halle Gensler '25, Berea Bonner
Alum, Youth & Young Adult
Engagement Coordinator at National
Alliance on Mental Illness Dupage
Location:
Room 150
*Alum on Zoom

27. K-12 & Higher Education
Lauren Sermersheim ’24,
Mars Hill Bonner Alum,
Graduate Assistant for the Clinton
School of Public Service
Facilitator
Rachayita Shah, Director of
Community Engaged Learning at
Bonner Foundation
Location:
Room 146

28. Law, Policy, & International
Dominique Cressler ’20,
University of Richmond Bonner
Alum, Project Coordinator with
DePaul Migration Collaborative
Facilitator
Richard Harrill, VP of Operations &
Strategic Initiatives
at Bonner Foundation
Location:
Demo
Kitchen

29. Non-profit, Social Impact, & Human Services
Josh Blair ’11, Centre Bonner
Alum, former Director of Strategic
Operations at Chicago Votes
Facilitator
Ariane Hoy, VP of Program and
Learning Initiatives
at Bonner Foundation
Location:
Room 353

30. Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics
Andy Han ’19, Macalester Bonner
Alum, Product Manager
at Rotary International
Facilitator
Naya Adla '26, Stetson Bonner
Scholar, 2025 National Bonner Intern;
Applied Math & Digital Arts Majors
Location:
Room 255

31. Get Ready!
•Conduct research! Search on
LinkedIn, job profiles, etc.
•Write down your questions!
•Head to your breakout room!

32. Breakout Spaces
Room 354
Room 151
Room 350
Room 150 Demo
Kitchen
Room 255
Room 146 Room 353

33. Resources

34. Resources
Career Connections: A
Best Practice Guide for
Strengthening Career
Development and
Community
Engagement
Developed by:
2024 National Bonner Interns, Abria Doe ’24, Stetson
University Bonner Alum and Bryan Wood ‘24, TCNJ
Bonner Alum and supported by Liz Brandt, Director of
Community Engagement, and Rachayita Shah, Director
of Community-Engaged Learning, Bonner Foundation.

35. Career Readiness Trainings
Developmental Curricular or co-curricular
opportunities focused on career readiness

36. Resources
Bonner National Partners

37. Resources
Bonner Graduate School Partners

38. Bonner Wiki
Visit Career Pathways Section
•Career Connections Guide
•Collaborating Across Campus & with
Career Services
•Job Sector Guides
•Career-Focused Training Guide

39. Bonner Alumni LinkedIn Group