From the president
Emma Lively, a junior student at the University of the South, invests in the growth and empowerment of youth and individuals to create positive community change. Raised in a family of public school teachers in a small town, she witnessed the impact of this investment on others. Emma partners with a neighboring small rural school and their counselor as a Bonner Leader to lead college peers in a weekly mentorship program for high school students. Building trust by co-identifying with the students the greatest challenges and needs they are facing, she has co-created with her team a series of workshops that have ranged from exploring careers and colleges, learning how to interview, writing their first resume, and applying for financial aid, to building financial literacy skills, teaching students clothes mending and meal planning, and learning how to build positive working and personal relationships. This year she is conducting research on barriers to access to ESL classes for adult immigrants in a nearby community and identification of resources for support and collaboration from the community to address these barriers. Emma models to her peers the sense of purpose and connection that comes with service and the power of collaborative action.
Personal Statement
I was raised in Southern Appalachia by public school teachers who taught me to advocate for myself and others. In high school, I attended a summer program. I realized that students at other schools were getting guidance about college applications that I was not, some of it as simple as knowing about the Common Application. I began advocating for myself and my classmates, sharing everything I learned and becoming one another’s coach as we filled out applications. The Bonner program at Sewanee has allowed me to continue advocating for others by providing high school students with college and career counseling. When I work with the students, I provide them with support I did not have in high school. Whether it’s answering questions about applying for financial aid or preparing them for interviews, my work centers around helping them develop a sense of agency about their future. The students all have great potential, passion, and goals that, if not supported, might never be fulfilled or achieved. I believe in a world where students have equitable educational support and where their great potential is fully realized and fully celebrated.