MC Bonner scholars mentor potential first-generation college students

May 8, 2009
Penny Gibbons, Office of Communications
865.981.8209; penny.gibbons@maryvillecollege.edu

It all started two years ago with an essay written for a freshman composition class about a student’s experiences as the first person in his family to attend college. The paper blossomed into a service opportunity through a new campus organization.

That essay was written by Ransford Sarfo, a 21-year-old political science major from Villa Rica, Ga. Originally from the West African country of Ghana, Sarfo first came to Maryville College for Minority Recruitment Weekend where he fell in love with the people, as well as the campus.

Soon after enrolling at Maryville College, he was selected to receive the Bonner Scholarship. As a recipient, he volunteers at least 40 hours per month in exchange for monies to apply toward tuition and books.

As a first-generation college student, Sarfo understands the challenges, noting that no one was available to teach him about college. Therefore, after writing the essay and consulting with his composition professor Dr. Lee Davis, he decided to start a new student organization.

“The best way to give back is to help students similar to myself,” said Sarfo.

Now in its third year, PEACE (Peers Encouraging Achieving a College Education) mentors local high school students who would be first-generation college students. PEACE members encourage the pursuit of higher education (whether it is technical training or a two-year or four-year degree) and guide their protégés throughout the process.

Approximately 15 active volunteers (including four Bonner Scholars) meet weekly to discuss their next presentation to high school students in traditional and alternative schools within Blount and Loudon counties. Jenny Bacon, a sophomore biology major from Clio, Mich., currently serves as the organization’s president.

Community service is nothing new to Sarfo. During summers in Ghana, he taught street children. While at Maryville College, he has volunteered as an assistant coach at Heritage High School in Maryville, worked at Habitat Restore, helped rebuild a house with American Humanics and assisted the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO).

Thanks to a trip to Indianapolis, where he met members of an organization that prepares middle- and high-school students for higher education, Sarfo was inspired to take PEACE a step farther.

“Talking with them really helped me think through the process of making PEACE something bigger than it already is,” Sarfo shared. Plans are underway to establish more of a family feel and give the students a better sense of college life by bringing them to campus. He hopes PEACE will expand throughout East Tennessee in the near future.

Sarfo’s passion for the first-generation college student will by no means end when he graduates next year. He is already planning to start a non-profit organization, bearing many similarities to PEACE.

Volunteering around the globe

Alex Riviere, another Bonner Scholar who is actively involved in PEACE, is a 23-year-old international business major from St. John’s, Virgin Islands. The soon-to-be-graduating senior was drawn to Maryville College because of its smaller size and balance of academics and extra-curricular activities.

Riviere learned about PEACE through his good friend, Sarfo. Having two younger brothers at home in the Virgin Islands, Riviere didn’t feel like he was fulfilling his responsibilities as a big brother. Volunteering for PEACE seemed like a natural choice to help fill that void.

“I wanted to be that [big brother] figure in someone else’s life.” He added, “I have gotten so much from people that I owe it to give something back. This opportunity is powerful.”

Community service is second nature to Riviere – it was required at his private, college-preparatory high school, where he assisted with the sports program, as well as mentored and tutored children.

The volunteer juices haven’t stopped flowing since. Riviere has helped with the AYSO, worked at Habitat Restore, served as assistant soccer coach at Heritage High School in Maryville, coached for the YMCA in Florida, worked at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., mentored at an after-school program in Amsterdam during a study abroad trip and organized a summer soccer program in the Virgin Islands.

Still tweaking his post-graduation plans, Riviere expressed an interest in securing a job overseas.

Taking to heart the powerful words of the Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and recent speaker at the College’s February Meetings, Riviere strives to “find a mentor and be a mentor.”

When asked about a motto to live by, he quoted Ghandi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” He affirmed: “That’s where my heart rests.”

Advisors impressed with scholars

Advisors for PEACE, Dr. Lee Davis, instructor of English, and Dr. Luther McKinney, former director of institutional research, said that they are impressed with these Bonner Scholars. They agreed that the scholars are personally invested in the program and are excellent role models.

“They are unlimited. Whatever is required, they will supply it. Their passion drives them to spend their own money on printing, gasoline and supplies,” stated McKinney.

Davis added, “They embody the Bonner ethic – the sense of community, of impacting one’s community. There’s a common good, and they enhance it through personal effort. It’s very likely that PEACE wouldn’t be what it is today, or even exist, without Bonner support.”

Funding now sought to endow program

During any given year, approximately 60 Maryville College students are volunteering in the community as Bonner Scholars. Weekly, these students contribute at least 600 volunteer hours to more than 25 agencies in the community. In a school year, the combined impact is nearly 17,000 hours.

Since the Bonner Scholars program was implemented at Maryville College in 1991, it is estimated that more than 250,000 hours of service have been given to local nonprofits and churches as well as programs in Africa and Latin America.

Founded and supported by the Princeton, N.J.- based Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, the Bonner Scholars Program consists of students at 27 colleges and universities who receive substantial scholarships from the Foundation when students commit to a certain number of community service hours for each year they are in college. Money is also provided for group trips taken during summer breaks to service sites in the United States and abroad.

Last year, the Bonner Foundation announced that it would award Maryville College $4.5 million to endow the program. The endowment process includes a requirement that the College match the Bonner Foundation’s grant with $2 million – a $1 million "completion grant" that will be added to the foundation’s $4.5 million to create the Bonner Scholar Endowment, and another $1 million to establish the Bonner Operating Endowment, which will be used to support activities surrounding the Bonner Scholars Program.

The College has until Aug. 1, 2009 to raise the funds necessary for the match.

For more information on the Bonner match, contact Brandon Bruce in the Office of Advancement and Community Relations at 865.981.8191 or brandon.bruce@maryvillecollege.edu.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state's third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2009 semester is 1,103.