Three Leader Weeks — done!

Don't miss this edition's spotlight, featuring a Q&A with our 2022 Program Intern Bonnie Chen as she talks about her experience attending Puerto Rico Leader Week, "being in the room where it happens," and what she'll take with her in future endeavors; Plus, a message from Executive Director Dr. Angela Hedwall and a breakdown on how our Leader Weeks went!

Thank you so much for making time with me to chat today, before we begin, would you introduce yourself to our Hammiesphere reader?

Hi. My name is Bonnie [Chen] She/Her. I'm a 2018 Hamilton Scholar, and I'm in my senior year of undergrad at Brandeis University, studying media, culture, communications, and sociology with a minor in Asian American and Pacific Islander studies.

What drew you to be the AHS Program Intern initially?

I'm really passionate about improving educational and social-economic equity within education; by dismantling barriers for minority and low-income students. And, especially as someone who went through the [AHS Empowerment] program and witnessed the important role of AHS – helping students attend college, go through college, and into their careers – I aspired to give back to the program and community that has supported my journey.

In one or two words, what was the experience of being a Program Intern?

One would be fun; the other, jam-packed.

Why those words?

Having to plan and execute three Leader Weeks [makes for] a very jam-packed schedule. We would plan a week, attend [the] Leader Week, and then it would be recoup week. Then it would be planning, then the actual Leader Week, and then recoup week again. So, definitely jam-packed

It was a lot of putting our brains together to work on these huge Leader Weeks; making sure we had both programming and logistics ready to go, in order to provide our scholars an enriching experience. And, I would pair [jam-packed] with fun because I think I was always laughing; it was awesome to work with the entire team [and] get to know them more – especially because I haven't met a lot of them in-person. It was encouraging knowing I had a group of people behind me to support me in everything I was doing.

How did it feel going from being a Hammie to, to borrow the phrase from the Hamilton musical, “being in the room where it happens?”

As a Hammie, you are eternally grateful for the entire staff team for offering support [and] resources to get [you] through anything [you’re] dealing with, or need support on. On the flip side, being an intern, I got a good sense of what happens behind the scenes, or all the work that happens to make something beautiful on the outside. I always like to say that if something looks beautiful or [wonderful] on the outside, there's tons of hard work – dedicated time, effort, lots of back-and-forth – that goes [on] to make something actually happen. I was grateful to be a part of that, because it's important to know how much it actually takes to plan and execute Leader Weeks, including sessions, volunteer outreach, and communication with host sites.

What was the stand-out moment of your internship?

I remember the day that I arrived in Seattle at Mikala’s house.

When I first walked in the door – like I mentioned before, I hadn’t met everyone in-person – I was immersed in a welcoming space, and that was really heartwarming for me; I felt like I really belonged in that moment and as Lynell says, ‘fitting seamlessly into this crazy cast of characters.’ It made me feel like I could tackle anything over the summer because I had this team around me to support me in every decision I made; it was so easy to talk to everyone and get straight into Seattle Leader Week.

What are you taking forward with you from this internship into your future endeavors?

This summer, I did a lot of thinking and decision-making on the fly. Knowing and trusting my instincts, having been given a deeper understanding of the organization to know what's best suited for our programming initiatives, has helped me think about the way that I go through life as well. It's really important to trust yourself and your instincts. Sometimes those “in the moment” decisions can take you in directions you never expected. This summer has been a great way to witness that.

Because of COVID-19, your cohort didn’t attend International Week; how was your experience attending Puerto Rico Leader Week?

Because I got to go to New York and Seattle [as a Hammie], I think [interning for] both of those Leader Weeks, it was a lot of reflecting on my own experiences to provide new perspectives on what I wish I had known.

I went into [Puerto Rico], brand new with staff and our 2020 Cohort; it was a brand new Leader Week and I think I went in with a single mindset [to] experience [it] with everyone else as a service oriented Leader Week. But, I also went in hoping I could bring to the cohort an understanding of what leadership and service means for yourself, and for the community you serve.

It was memorable to experience Puerto Rico and learn about its culture, its heritage – the historical lens that makes what Puerto Rico is now – and be able to support the various volunteer sites that we went to.

Is there a project, achievement, or contribution that you're most proud of during your time interning?

The internship allowed me to grow in areas I hoped to work on. I enjoyed designing my own facilitation guides for my Leader Week sessions; being able to facilitate Welcome Introductions and the Scholar Panel was really rewarding – especially to do that for myself and have scholars feel that the panel was helpful and interactive for them.

My biggest goal coming into the internship was wanting to support all of our scholars in whatever that they needed in order for them to grow and succeed; I felt I did that with the projects that I took charge of.

What would you say to anyone considering doing an internship with AHS?

Be open-minded; be willing to say yes to opportunities; and, know that you can be creative, think outside the box, and speak your mind. Learning those, for me, was really empowering. You get out of something how much you put into [it]; if you are willing to learn and willing to take chances, it’s an awesome and fulfilling opportunity.

Finally, is there anything I neglected to ask you during our interview that you feel would be good for folks to know?

I really valued speaking to all the scholars I met this summer, especially because I'm not as familiar with the newer cohorts. Speaking with them – getting to learn from them and hear about their interests, passions, who they want to be, and how they aspire to change their communities and the world – was really inspiring.

This interview, conducted on Sept. 1 over Zoom, between The Hammiesphere and Bonnie Chen has been adapted for a Q&A style and was edited for clarity and style.

2019 Hammie Ashley Neyra studied history in the Advanced Studies for England (ASE) program abroad in the city of Bath! There she took Romans in Britain, and, Medieval Maps, Monsters, and Marvels. They had a chance to visit Stonehenge, Wales, many castles, and Oxford University. This study abroad program was supported by an F&M Summer Awards Grant and the Don Nunes Scholarship from ASE.

Kevin Palomino, a 2018 Hammie, was selected as a recipient of the RTDNA Scholarship. This year, RTDNF awarded more than $35,000 to 13 talented students and early career journalists, and Kevin is one of them! Scholarship and fellowship winners also will attend an all-expense paid conference called RTDNA22, Sept. 14-16, in Indianapolis.

Shine a spotlight

Have exciting news to share? Did you hear about a fellow Hammie's amazing accomplishment? We want to celebrate you! Fill out the spotlight form on our website so we can share the news to our entire community!

Each year, after our Summer Leader Weeks, we reflect on the past year and look to forge a new path forward. 2023's theme, Building Bridges, sets the tone for our continued work fostering community within, but also as we look out to new partners and communities in service of our Scholars.

Bridges connect communities, they increase access and make movement across unfriendly spaces possible. At AHS, we dedicate ourselves to bridging the opportunity gap for our Scholar: we span the transitions between high-school, college, and beyond; connecting our future changemakers to possibility.

We're excited for a strong finish to the foundation-building of 2022, and look forward to 2023.

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