Post-Graduation Service and Civic Outcomes for High Financial Need Students of a Multi-Campus, Co-Curricular Service-Learning College Program

High financial need Bonner scholarship alumni, who had been engaged in 4 years of cocurricular service and reflection experiences, were surveyed 6 years after graduation. Survey questions drawn from UCLA’s Life After College Survey allowed comparison with three national groups. All Bonner service-learning program graduates were still doing community service 6 years after graduation compared to approximately two-thirds of each comparison group. Alumni were more also likely than comparison groups to be civically engaged, particularly in activities requiring dialogue. The importance of sustained dialogue across boundaries of perceived difference is discussed.

Project: Study of Outcomes of Participation in the Bonner Scholars Program