UH Hilo Bonner Student Leaders attend national event; two lead panel discussion on community engagement
Members of the Hilo delegation led a panel, attended sessions with national experts in community engagement, met with peers from across the country, and learned about graduate schools and national organizations with internship opportunities.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
Three Bonner Student Leaders from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo attended the 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) annual national event held at the University of Richmond, Virginia, earlier this summer.
Throughout the four days of SLI, attendees explored the theme of “Weaving Our Web: I Am Because We Are,” with a focus on deepening skills, sharing innovations, and strengthening partnerships to address access to education, community-engaged learning, and social justice. Two of the UH Hilo students had their workshop presentation proposal on community engagement accepted and led a panel discussion on the subject.
Attending the institute gathering were UH Hilo seniors Hayden Niles (marine science) and Leiya Torrano (business), and sophomore Luz Espinoza Vargas (chemistry). Also attending were Julie Mowrer, acting director of UH Hilo’s Center for Community Engagement, and Shania Tamagyongfal, UH Hilo’s Bonner coordinator.
“Attending the SLI was a completely new experience for me, but it was also something I was looking forward to,” says Espinoza Vargas. “I believe this was a good opportunity for me to continue growing and learning and exploring new places as well.”
The students are members of the UH Hilo Bonner Program, part of a national network whose mission is to help develop student leaders who will have a positive impact on their communities. The Hilo program was launched four years ago by the university’s Center for Community Engagement. Through paid employment with community organizations, the students, who are called Bonner Student Leaders, acquire real-world skills that help build self-esteem and confidence as they tackle their academic studies to prepare for meaningful careers.
There were over 450 attendees at the 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators, with four days of workshops and place-based learning. All five members of the UH Hilo delegation, both students and staff, had the opportunity to attend sessions at the event with national experts in community engagement, meet with peers from across the Bonner network, and learn about Bonner partners at graduate schools and national organizations with internship opportunities.
“It was an amazing opportunity to experience Bonner SLI and mingle with other faculty and staff to hear their wonderful stories of the Bonner Program on their campuses,” says Tamagyongfal.
Presentation and discussion on community engagement: “It made me realize how collective our culture is compared to the mainland”
At a panel discussion, Niles and Torrano led a presentation titled, “Rooted and Reaching: Perspectives on Community Engagement from Home and Away.” Tamagyongfal served as facilitator of the discussion.
“A particular highlight for me was seeing the curiosity and excitement of our students engaging with the audience during their panel presentation on their community engagement experience in Hawaiʻi,” says Tamagyongfal. “I am very proud of our students and their representation of our UH Hilo Bonner program at this national conference.”
In their presentation, Niles and Torrano discussed the meaning of community engagement, exploring the contrasting yet complementary experiences of two college students: one who grew up locally (Torrano was born and raised in Honokaʻa on Hawaiʻi Island) and one who moved from a small rural town out of state (Niles hails from South Dakota). They shared how students approach civic involvement, build relationships, and create impact from different starting points.
“I enjoyed being able to present our (UH Hilo) Bonner Program at one of the workshops,” says Torrano. “It made me realize how collective our culture is compared to the mainland.”
Adventures in Richmond and DC: “Monuments of people who have reshaped the cultural narrative dot the landscape and continue to evolve”
The national event also included immersive, place-based experiences in Richmond so students could learn about the communities, history, and culture of the area.
Torrano connected with the local community through joining the Bonners group that helped out at the Health Brigade, Virginia’s oldest free clinic that provides health services to those most in need of nonjudgmental care. The Bonner’s group participated in a hands-on supply kit activity while learning about the clinic’s services and mission.
“I attended the Health Brigade Excursion where we learned more about the Comprehensive Harm Reduction Program and helped package around 200 hygiene kits,” Torrano explains.
Niles participated in a tour of an eco-corridor and helped with maintenance of a recreation trail. The group learned about the history, stormwater, invasive species management, and programming surrounding Richmond’s biodiversity on campus. Participants took part in a bench-building project of benefit to every visitor to the area.
Mowrer and Tamagyongfal also participated in a community-oriented excursion, “Power to the People: Recentering our History,” led by Lauranette Lee, a public historian based at the University of Richmond specializing in teaching, advocating, and collaborating with diverse community and academic audiences.
“Richmond has been known for its history, particularly its monuments to the Confederate past,” explains Mowrer. “However, the city has changed and now reflects a more inclusive representation of its history. Monuments of people who have reshaped the cultural narrative dot the landscape and continue to evolve.”
The trip ended with a day in Washington, DC, to explore the nation’s capital.
Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
