About
Juliet is one of our fellow Bonner Leaders graduating this May with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and a Civic Engagement minor. Before Wagner, she went to Port Richmond High School, which is the community she works with now. Aside from classes and Bonner, Juliet is part of the garden and compost group on campus, as well as the Tau Kappa Sigma sorority. She now has a “big girl job” at La Colmena as a youth coordinator where she is helping with the youth in Port Richmond, who are either DACA recipients, undocumented or just immigrants in general. She plans to continue working there until she goes away for grad school.
Fun fact
Juliet was born and raised in India, and moved to Staten Island when she was 8 years old.
What made you join the Bonner Program?
I was already in a civic engagement/ college readiness program when I was in high school, so it felt natural to join the Bonner Program. When I came to college, it was technically mandatory for me to join at the time (as it was part of my scholarship) but regardless I would've joined because it's something that I'm passionate about and I'm going to use it in my future career.
What were your placements over the years?
1. Make the Road
I worked with minority groups mostly, mainly for young Hispanic students from kindergarten to 6th grade. Most of their parents speak only Spanish or are working full time, so a lot of them wouldn't be able to help their kids with homework. So this was like an afterschool program for the kids. I helped them with homework, math, English. Sometimes we were acting like the “middle” person between teachers and parents, translating teachers’ notes and writing them back explaining the situation.
2. PRPLA
At PRPLA, I started by being a mentor, and then moved up to senior liaison, which meant that I coordinated the schedules for the rest of the mentors in Bonner to come. I set up the one-on-one schedules and I also helped create seminars, which we led with the high school students. As mentor, I had one-on-one with students and helped them with their applications. I continued being a mentor to them over the summer as well. Most of them have gone to college, some have decided on another plan for themselves, which is fine also. We just want them to be successful and know their options.
3. Pitbull for Addicts
Pitbull for Addict is a program that helps a lot of individuals get over their addiction by going to a puppy shelter. I joined whenever possible with Pedro, we would go to the shelter and take care of the dogs -- walk them, feed them etc. Unfortunately, a lot of the dogs were abused or malnourished, and have had a lot of trauma from past owners, so we had to be careful with them.
4. Bonner Secretary
When we created the Bonner Leadership Team (BLT), I spearheaded making it and worked on the descriptions for the positions and the applications. As Secretary, I was a support system for the interns, helping them with the seminars and doing some solo projects as well.
5. Senior Bonner Intern
As a Bonner intern, I've worked with the junior cohort and I run their seminars as well as have one-on-ones with them. I’m trying to help them as much as I can with their academic and professional development, but also focusing on their mental health as well. I try to be the person who can actually give them answers for any questions they might have.
Has your Bonner experience helped you gain experience in your area of study/work?
Well, I'm going into the medical field and while the placements I had don't particularly relate to that, a lot of them are things I'm passionate about and what I’m going into: helping the youth and the minority groups. My goal is to go into the medical field and focus on minorities. I want to be able to speak up and draw more attention towards the problems they have, because there's a huge inequality in the healthcare field between minority groups versus other groups. I think my experience in Bonner helped me get a better understanding of minorities and the challenges they face.
How has Covid-19 impacted your placement and interactions with the Junior cohort, as the Bonner Intern?
Well clearly we’re not doing in-person seminars anymore, which makes it a little bit difficult because we're all sitting in front of a computer for like 8 hours a day now, which affects everybody's mental health. Seminar should be a leisure, a safe space. I think a lot of people are just so exhausted and tired COVID puts so much stress on everyone. So I’ve been trying to figure out things that I can do online with them. I wanted to do a “stress free” seminar. As I couldn't do anything in person, I went to each of their dorms, and a facial mask and notes underneath under their door. And then when we got on Zoom, we had a conversation and talked about things that were happening that were stressing them out.
What is your Senior Capstone Project?
My Capstone Project is creating a curriculum for the youth. Fellow senior Bonner Sabrine and I have created the Youth Leadership Series, which is a six-part leadership session that I'm doing with the youth. The first one was focused on building the foundation with the cohort. The second one is focusing on systematic oppression and it will include a discussion about that and workshops. The third one is going to be on how the youth can use their voice to get it out there.
Looking back on the four years, do you have any advice for younger Bonners?
Don’t be afraid to voice your passions and try to find a placement that aligns with your interests. Also, always advocate for yourself and for the program!
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