Tom Ruhl ’19, a history education major from Locust Valley, N.Y., has been named to a one-year term on the national Bonner Advisory Board. He is one of only 10 students from across the country to serve on the board.
Ruhl got to test his leadership skills recently, as Siena hosted the national Bonner Congress. More than 150 Bonner students from across the country came to the Loudonville campus to participate in workshops that Ruhl said were aimed at formulating “big ideas” for the Bonner program, and then hammering out the details to make them happen.
A Bonner service leader since entering Siena as a freshman, Ruhl works at the College’s Academic Community Engagement (ACE) offices as a program associate, handling administrative tasks, attending faculty meetings, and mentoring the professional development of other Bonners. There are 52 Bonner students currently studying at Siena.
“Bonners work several hours a week at a non-profit organization or on campus in a position that combines their academic and social justice interests with practical experience,” he said.
There is a wide range of academic subjects that Bonners study – biology, psychology, political science and more – and their classroom knowledge is applied to address ACE signature issues in the areas of housing, hunger, health, justice and education.
In addition to his work with ACE, Ruhl also volunteers as an anti-cyberbullying Upstander ambassador, and is a teaching assistant in educational psychology for Dr. Robert Colesante, professor of education. This past summer he traveled to South Africa as a Global Service intern.
“Tom is an outstanding student leader who goes above and beyond in his dedication to the Capital Region and to the Bonners on the Siena campus,” said Kelly Finn ’16, ACE assistant director. “We know that Tom will serve as a wonderful representation of our institution and the Bonner program.”
