Alumni Spotlight | Jazmin Tejada ’15

I will forever be grateful for the Siena College Bonner Service Leaders Program. As a young freshman, entering a new chapter as a college student, the Bonner program helped ground me in more ways than I can say. After a wonderful 4 years and over 2000 hours of community service, I graduated in 2015 with a BA in Psychology and Certificate in Community Development.

My first Bonner site was Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless back in 2011. I loved every minute. My site supervisor, and fellow Bonners there were very encouraging and pushed me to do my very best every day. It was a humbling experience and something I will never forget. Shortly after, I was given the amazing opportunity to become a Program Associate as a sophomore and there I stayed until graduation. In this role, I developed training, facilitated many Bonner meetings, mentored underclassmen and did plenty of event planning.

Without a doubt, the leadership development I received during my time as a Bonner has made me the professional I am today. Currently, I have the privilege of being a Victim Support Specialist for the US Navy’s ‘Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program’. In this role, I not only respond to victims of sexual assault and provide crisis intervention, but I also do a lot of work on the prevention side. With that, comes a lot of training development and facilitation. The skills I learned while in Bonner have equipped me, along with my team, to develop successful training curriculums that are now being used Navy-wide.

When I think about my favorite memories as a Bonner, what I carry with me most is the sense of family this program provided. Through really amazing highs and a major loss of one of our own, no matter what happened, I could always count on my fellow Bonners. So to all current Bonners, welcome to the family! I congratulate you in joining this program. It is not for everyone, but never lose sight of why you joined- no doubt your heart for serving and social justice. While you may not see the immediate impact of your service right now, please know that your time and efforts are in fact making a difference. Keep up the good work!

BLOVE ALWAYS

Jazmin Tejada ’15
Bonner Service Leader