Final Day Plans and Schedule

Hello Family and Friends,

As we finish up and reflect on this last 11 days and prepare to share some of our experiences with you tomorrow, I wanted to share some thoughts and details!

The students have been great. Every one of them has a unique personality and brought something special to our group. Make sure to ask them to share their thoughts and what they have learned about themselves and the world through the last weeks.

Encourage them to keep doing the things they enjoyed about this program. It could be community service, taking harder courses in school, making new friends, reflecting on experiences, or trying something new.

Thank you for sharing them with us for this short time, we as a staff, have truly enjoyed getting to know them.



Now to the details for tomorrow.

The students have decided to amend the program a little to include everyone's presentations together. There will be 3 groups presenting on their research and observations. Following those presentations we will show you what we have been up to and present the students with something to take home with them.

Schedule 
10:00am - Light refreshments - Business Building Lounge
10:30am - Final Presentations & Closing - Business Building Lounge (where the opening was held)
11:45am - Closing - Business Building Lounge
1:00pm - 3:00pm - Move Out - New Residence Hall
1:00pm - 3:00pm - Optional Campus Tours




We hope to see you all tomorrow! It will be an exciting day!

Brittany and the Bonner Staff

Bonner Blog 8

With only two nights left in the program, how do you believe you have grown, improved, or expanded?

Akash

Through this Bonner experience I have gained new friends and a new outlook on what college life is like. I have improved on my study skills and the ability to concentrate while others are talking. I have also improved on my public speaking and have been able to handle the work load of a college class.     

Amanda

With only two nights left of the program, I definately have seen a change in myself. As far as class goes, I think my mind has expanded. The class has really opened up my thoughts and perception of the world. I have learned so much in only two weeks of the class. I have also been able to read information in articles, and understand what the author is saying, which is a great feeling. I have also grown so much through service. Unfortunately, in high school, i never really had a chance to do a lot of community service because i was involved in many things at school. Proposing ideas to the administrators was a growing process itself. It was awesome to come up with ideas we wanted to change, propose them, and then see them come to life. Physically seeing spaces in the school transform because of us is a really rewarding feeling. Yesterday i was talking to Larry, the head custodian, and he was told me we were making a difference. That comment alone just made me feel like our hard work was changing the community of the school. I have grown as a person because of this program. After driving through Trenton and going to the high school, i have become very grateful of what i have at home. I really want to continue to make a difference and bring joy to the people of this community.

Margot

I have grown by being able to form new friendships and get close to people even only knowning them 2 weeks. I have also seen myself succeed in a college level class and truly enjoy going to class. I have also improved by dedicating myself to community service and completeing whatever task I was given. 

Erica

I’ve learned a lot more than I expected in these past (almost) two weeks. I learned a lot in class and have been able to apply it to my service site. Being in a college setting has also prepared me a lot for the fall. I’ve been so homesick, I’m actually happy I’m commuting my first Semester. I made a lot of friends and learned things about myself I didn’t now before. I’m dreading leaving on Friday, but I know I’ll be okay. Its part of growing up.

Lauren

Through my participation in this program, I have seen myself grow and change. As someone who was nervous about coming to a place where I knew no one, I proved to myself that I am capable of making friends and opening up to people in just two weeks. I also realized that I can't always do everything alone. It's okay to ask for help when you need it and I'm certainly glad I did. During our class, we were exposed to new ways of thinking and I hope that I continue to see the world through this analytical lens. Working at the high school for service has opened my eyes to how fortunate I am and I want to continue making a difference wherever I can.

Melissa

I think that my confidence has improved in the passed two weeks. I don’t really consider myself an outgoing person - at least not until I get to know people. However I feel like I’ve come out of my shell more this year than last year. It feels good I think.

Arielle

I believe that I have grown as an individual throughout my stay at TCNJ. I am no longer frightened by the idea of moving into a college dorm. I have developed confidence in my academic abilities, if I could make it through Doctor Bates class I can make it through any college class! I have made friends at this program, which is something I have not had to do for a very long time….I am now confident that I will survive my years in college.

Hailey

Over the course of this program i have learned about this wonderful thing called time managment, namely the idea that i have none. Eventually i figured out that the best way to keep on track was to have arielle "kidnap" my ethernet conection so i can foucs soley on my work. Hopefully this will allow me to actually get my work done quickly and not having to stay up till one to finish everything (like what im doing now!).

Max

Well with only two days left in this program... I'm sad. I had an amazing time--yeah the work stunk but the friends I made, the connections I formed, and the experiences gained made it definitely worth while..and money :). I know I improved or improving on my public speaking skills. I've heard some great tips and strategies that will be very helpful the next time I have to speak to a larger audience. I got a great peak into what college is like, well the generalness of it. I am in love with TCNJ and am going to make it my priority to get accepted as well as try to get accepted into the Bonner Program. I now have a whole new outlook on community service.. I love it :). The smiles you receive and the families that you know you helped put a smile on your own face no matter what.. well at least it does for me. Even just typing this. I love everyone here, the students and ALL the staff, everyone is incredible and has made my time wonderful. 

Matt

I have had a great time here as part of this program at TCNJ.

I think a huge part of the experience lending itself to feelings of fulfillment is the socialization aspect of the program. Although I hate to admit it, my past summer vacations have been marked by a real lack of socialization. Simply put, meeting and getting to know everyone here (the people at TCNJ, fellow Bonner participants, those in Trenton and the ASA, etc.) has been a real treat. All in all, I think I have grown a bit here socially.    

Tom

With only 2 nights left of the Bonner Summer Fellows Program, I feel that I have grown a lot more social with people and independent with my work.  I used to play video games very often and I used to have my parents help me out with homework I could have potentially done on my own.  Thanks to this program, I have been able to get to know a bunch of people here better and be able to do some of the work here on my own.

Akila

With only two nights of camp left I'ver belived I grown in  terms of how I do my work how I am able to manage my time.

Eric

So far I feel like I've grown as a person as whole and that I have really matured throughout the course of the program. I have experienced the college lifestyle, and I got a feel for how a college course is run. I also experienced a lot of life altering impacts through the work that I did for Habitat for Humanity. Just being exposed to the impoverished neighborhoods of Trenton shed away my naivety, so I clearly see some of the problems that are going on in this country. And being able to make a difference in the community along with making the residents happy had a tremendous impact on me.

Some Pictures!

Planning for Trenton High Projects

At reflection

Guest Speaker - Rob Fiorella, PEI Kids 

Talent Show - Melissa talking about Dance!

Talent Show - Amanda showing us her Artwork!

In the Van on the way to service! 

Bowling 1

Grounds for Sculpture

Bowling 2

Bowling 3 

Both of our teams made two different newspapers! Check out the Trenton Times photos! 

http://photos.nj.com/the-times/2012/07/tcnj_bonner_center_east_trento_4.html

Last day of the project, BBQ celebration! 

Some more dancing at the BBQ! 

BBQ with the community members! 

Bonner Blog 7

If you were the mayor of Trenton, what is the first thing you would change and why? 

Melissa

If I was the mayor of Trenton, I think that the first thing I would do would be put more funding toward the schools. I know that this isn’t as simple as it may seem because I don’t know the exact budget of the city, but I think it is an important thing to do. If the children of Trenton are unable to receive a good education, they will not be able to move on to a good college and continue on to be successful. And if more of the children from Trenton continue on to be successful, there will be more people to give back to the city.

Amanda 

If i was the mayor of Trenton, it would be difficult to pick the first thing I would change. Since I have really only been exposed to the school, I do not really know too much about outside the public education. Knowing this, I think I would raise money to renovate the library, make it handicap accessible, and an inspiring enviornment to make students want to read. The library in the school is very old, dark, and a dull place. I think this is a major project in the school that if done, would create a positive chain reaction. This would give the students a chance to really want to learn, and a nice place to go to do so.

Lauren 

If I were the mayor of Trenton, I think the first thing I would try to reallocate money or trying to get more money to change the state of the public schools. Having spent some time in the high school, I've seen how old and dingy the building is. The classrooms don't seem to have any excitement to them, the library is dark and slightly outdated, and the cafeteria has broken chairs and tables If these maintenance things could be fixed, the school would be transformed and a brighter, more pleasant atmosphere would be created. Maybe this facelift would help excite the students and make them more eager to come to school. If more students come to school, the more likely they might be to go to college and break their cycle of poverty. I know that completely changing everything about the school is nearly impossible but just a few major renovations would be helpful. 

Bonner Blog 6

You are half-way done! If you had to pick your top 2 moments/activities here, what would they be and why?

Akila

My top two favorite moments so far were in class talkinmg to the teacher because it felt great to learn and discuss things. And when we played the game Step In The Circle because we go to know a lot things about eachother that we didn't know before.

Matt

When considering my top two moments/activities here (so far), the first activity that comes to mind is the talent show that we put on yesterday night. I really can’t think of anything to say about it other than the fact that it was really fun! The skits were hilarious, especially the ones put on by the staff members who impersonated us. And the team that sang “Just The Way You Are” to Dave was hilarious. When they serenaded Dave’s smile as he sat down stone-faced, I lost it.

I also really enjoyed working in East Trenton with Shaun, Dave, and our Mentor. We had some great conversations, and it was an all-around good time. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone.      

Amanda

One of my favorite activities was the talent show. I enjoyed sharing my art with everyone. Everyone who performed did a great job and it was a funny night. The highlight of the talent show for me was singing to Dave because I think we really made him laugh. Another top activity was Grounds for Sculpture because that is my favorite place on earth. I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was still an awesome experience. Willie Cole's exhibit was also really cool to see because his art was mostly made up from trash like plastic water bottles.

Lauren 

 It's just past the halfway point of the program and I already have made a ton of memories of great experiences. It's rather difficult to pick favorites but I'll try. I think my favorite thing that I have done here so far was something that may not technically have been allowed: swimming in the fountain. Our impromptu decision to go in the fountain was preceded by a late-night walk around campus. I was having a really good time getting to know everyone better when we came upon the Science Complex. We, one-by-one, decided to brave the cold water and enjoyed the thirll of the experience. After the swim, I felt like I had really bonded with the group I was with, a great feeling.

As for my second favorite experience, I cannot decide between two more organized activities. (Sorry! I'm indecisive!) First off, I really enjoyed the talent show. Although I was aprehensive about it beforehand, it turned into a great night. Watching all of the talents was fun and the staff's impersonations were quite accurate. The talent show was a great opportunity to relax and have some fun after working most of the day. On a much different note, I also like Step Into the Circle. Of course, this activity is much more serious than the talent show but I like how revealing it can be. You gain little morsels of knowledge about the people here, things you wouldn't know otherwise. Even if you don't pursue more information, which I never have, it is still nice to gain a greater understanding of who everyone is and what they believe in

Jared

It is extremely difficult to pick my top two moments so far. One of my top two moments so far is definitely the talent show. Everyone in the talent show was so good in his or her own unique way, and I thought it was hilarious when our group sang, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars to a counselor named Dave. I have never met someone who is so good at keeping a straight face. Another great memory was finishing the house for Habitat for Humanity. The homeowners’ reaction was incredible. They were so grateful for all the work we accomplished and it felt amazing to feel like I made a difference. Another experience that was memorable was meeting the kids today at the Academic Sports Academy in the Martin Luther King School. They thought I was an extremely interesting person and they looked like they were so happy that I took my time out to come visit them. I cannot wait to see how the rest of the week goes.

Eric

My two favorite moments so far are the talent show because it was fun to learn more about other people plus it was just was fun to do and the community service that we did for Habitat for Humanity because I really enjoyed working with the other people to help make a change in the community.

Max

I really liked swimming in the fountain with Tili Margot Akash Jared and Erica. I also really liked the day trip to Grounds for Sculpture. I’ve already planned to go there with my girlfriend later this month. Also really liked the ice breakers in the beginning of the week, great job staff! This has been a lot of fun and I’ve liked everything so far except the homework which just stinks. But this isn't a summer camp.

Bonner Blog 5

What are some of your work/school/team skills? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

Matt

As far as my work/school/team skills go, I am very good a organizing. In fact, I find organizing (books, papers, supplies, etc.) therapeutic, and almost cathartic in a way. It can be very relaxing to me, and I do a good job at it. I also consider myself to be a good anti-procrastinator; I rarely leave things off to the last minute. When I’m a part of a team, I consider myself good at taking and following instructions.

My weaknesses include: a nervousness and consequent hesitation to take charge and lead a group, physical weakness (I’m not physically strong, which may hinder tasks that involve heavy-lifting, etc.), and a nervousness toward public-speaking. 

Lauren

When working in a team, I am good at stepping into a leadership role in most settings. It normally becomes my job to keep everyone on track and focused. A strength, and sometimes weakness, is my need for things to be as close to perfect as possible. This results in work that is well-done but it leads me to spend a lot more time on assignments than most others do. 

Bonner Bonding Pictures

Bonner Blog Question 4

You have met many people here so far. Who have you connected with and what have you learned about him or her? 

Amanda Intili

I think I have already made a lot of friends here. Everyone in my class has already become so close. We all are always together so we have really bonded over the last few days. My roommate Erica is really awesome and I am so happy we met each other for the fall. I really like all the staff members. Lexy and Kayla are really awesome leaders and they are easy to talk to. I am so happy I met Su because she just graduated as an art ed major, so it was really cool to show her my portfolio and talk to her about the program. My professor is such an inspiring woman and its so interesting! Her class is fun and I love how she gets us involved when she teaches. All the people I have met have been extremely nice and I am excited to learn about everyone!

Arielle Fouks

I have met many people in my stay with TCNJ; one of my favorite people is Liverpool my site manger. Liverpool is funny and just plain awesome! He was tons of fun to work with, and had a great personality.

Matthew Kadish

This is true; I have met many people. Here are some of the things that I have learned from and about these people…

I’ve learned about Shaun’s preferences in music (about which he is very passionate), television, multilingual skills, sense of humor, adeptness and experimentation with the act of napping, and (last but never least) his taste in superheroes. He’s great to be around, although his views on Batman are fundamentally flawed (but it’s okay, everyone makes mistakes).

I’ve learned about Dave’s preferences as well, and I have also learned about his great ambitions: his goal of authorship, his desire to start a videogame company, and his fondness for interactive multimedia.

I’ve learned a lot about my group’s mentor at our community service site as well. To name some examples, I learned about his views on conspiracy-theories, his aversion to drugs and rap music, his love of cartoons, his religious views, and his overall attitude. He’s a terrific person.

I’m also getting to know fellow students here. I’m learning about Hailey and Arielle’s strong yet verbally-bloodthirsty friendship, Mary’s high spirits, Thomas’s commitment to running, etc.        

I’m liking the people here a lot.  






Hailey Goldberg


I felt a great connection with Asada, the grandaughter of my homeowner. She is 5 years old and the happiest child i have ever met. On sunday and monday we talked a little and by the end of the first day she was giving us hugs and asking us to read her books. She also kept asking if she could help us paint, when we told her she would have to put on cloths she didnt like because she could get them messy she looked at me and said "but i like all my cloths!!" On tuesday though we spent about half an hour playing imaginary games, normally princess theamed or id pretend to be a tire swing and swing her around a lot. She reminded me a lot of my little sister then. She seemed perfectly content to be told she "had to stay locked in her toweer" then make a break for the other end of the yard, and then be carried back over and over again. She also has the best smile. I wish i could see her again before we left. 

Bonner Blog Question 3

What makes you unique?


Max Graj

What makes me unique is my last name :) Graj because it is spelled like graJ but pronounced like graY. I just don’t know what’s unique about me or what talents I have. I mean I like cooking and playing sports and learning songs on the piano from youtube, but I wouldn’t consider any of those "talents" but more like hobbies I guess.

Margot Camino

What makes me unique is the fact that I can cheer people up even when they are sad. Special skills and talents I love to sing, dance, and perform. I can also sound like a platypus. 

Bonner Blog Question 2

After your first full day in Trenton, describe your thoughts on the city and how you hope to make an impact.

Matthew Kadish

For the most part, my thoughts on the area of East Trenton haven’t changed dramatically from yesterday. However, I did see more people outside, and I saw three young children playing in a grassy area—which was a nice sight to see, and negated some of the “solemnness” that I wrote about yesterday.

With Trenton as a whole, I feel like the city has an interesting history that I would like to delve into. And this feeling isn’t based solely on the fact that Trenton is the capital of New Jersey. I heard that Trenton was once the capital of the entire country—albeit for a short period of time—and that the city has changed and transitioned quite a bit. I also know that Trenton has quite a bit of de facto segregation based on race, which is something for the city to work on.

Impact an entire city obviously feels like an overwhelming undertaking. But I think I can start to make a positive impact by engaging in little and constructive acts that help or at least aid Trenton’s citizens. Any city, after all, is made from citizens—ordinary people. I think that helping ordinary citizens, getting to know them, and spreading the word about good causes are good first steps.   

Mary Ruiz

Trenton looks, at times, more horrible than it really is. The people are not bad or harmful at all. I hope to have a lasting impact on the homeowners. We are currently in the process of painting the entire downstairs part of the house. I hope to leave their house at the end of the week knowing that they will be truly grateful for what we did for them.

Jared DeMeo

I thought Trenton was a very run down city with much potential. It is definitely a poor neighborhood and i am surprised that we let the capital of New Jersey get to be so bad. I hope to have a positive impact on this community and help slowly rebuild it. I hope the city can return to its former greatness that it was at before it became to decline.




Melissa Moore


I think that Trenton was probably a really cool place at one point. You can see that some of the architecture of different buildings was one probably very beautiful and cool, but today it is just run down. It's sad to see this because the people probably do not have enough money to get them restored. It would be nice to see these places in all their glory. I hope to impact the community by helping to restore the high school to it's glory. The little things that we are doing will hopefully contribute to the success of the school as a whole by making it a more welcoming place to learn in. I hope to make it so that the students will appreciate their school and perhaps enjoy their time there more than they do now. In the long run, if this works, the students will hopefully be more inclined to work towards achieving a good education. Then, they can give back to their community as well. I am happy knowing that the things we are doing in their school could contribute to the success of Trenton as a city one day.

Bonner Blog Question 1

Describe what you think of the camp so far and what you’re looking forward to?

Arielle Fouks

I enjoyed my first day of the Bonner program, the early morning rising will take some getting used to.... I was surprised by how much I enjoyed helping others (in the habitat for humanity program) and how much I had in common with others within the program. I was surprised out how group oriented the program was, I though we would be given more free range, a more college like experience. I am looking forward to completing the habitat for humanity program, and I hope to gain insight as to how a college level class will be conducted and how demanding it will. Most of all I want to have fun and make new friends!

Thomas Lukens

The first day was one interesting experience.  I was really nervous arriving to this place, with no parents to hold my hand aside from driving me there.  It was fun playing games while at the same time we got to know each other.  Painting someone's house takes a lot longer than I thought!  It will be awesome seeing what the house looks like after it's new paint job is complete.  I would also like to see what this community service project is and what we will be watching during movie nights.  Finally, I would like to see how I'm going to keep up with my running schedule and running around the school campus when I get someone to run with me.

Eric Talbot

At first the program seemed intimidating; however, the staff really tore down the awkward barriers between us. So far the program has been eye opening. We started our community service, and I have already experienced new things. I am looking forward to work with the others to make a difference in the community and within ourselves.




Akash Aggarwal


The Bonner pre college program has been so far a good all around experience. The staff is funny and lively. They make even the boring activities entertaining. The schedule isn't too hard or overwhelming and I think its a good balence of work and entertainment. The scavenger hunt was probably the most fun we've had yet, because we got to meet new people and learn about the campus while doing crazy activites no one would have ever thought of. What I'm looking forward to in the next two weeks is the gain some college experience and see the hard work pay off in the end. Also I want to help people in the community by doing various activities and I think this program does that well.

Welcome to the TCNJ Bonner Summer Fellows Blog

Welcome to the TCNJ Bonner Summer Fellows Blog 

Hello and welcome to our blog! During the Bonner Summer Fellows Program we will have all of the participants and staff blog about their experiences each day. We will share some each day with you all here!